Who Needs Enemies?
by Zwinky
Summary: Rukia, being the new girl in town, isn't exactly calm at mind about attending her new high school. With a troubled past, she tries her best to smile, be polite, and not slip back into her old self, but you know what they say; old habits die hard. So, when a certain orange-haired moron tests her every limit, how long will Rukia last? AU. ICHIGO X RUKIA.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, my fellow Bleach lovers, this is my newest creation. This is my first time not writing a sequel, so I hope it will turn out as I have planned- funny, light-hearted, but also a bit deeper than your usual humor. I'm still considering the age restriction, but I don't think I'll be throwing lemons your way... Unless there's a desperate need, then let me know and we'll make a deal (''_'').**

 **Anyway, please enjoy the first chapter, and do not forget to review!**

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CHAPTER | 1

The first-day-of-school nerves were killing her. Since the moment she opened her eyes that morning, Rukia wanted nothing more than to plunge her face into her Chappy plushie and go back to her wonderful dream. But, to her disdain, her brother had already called out her name, and she knew the second time wouldn't be so gentle. So, with a heavy heart, Rukia dragged herself out of bed and managed to make herself presentable. She remembered saying goodbye to her brother- already hard at work since before she was even awake. She didn't exactly pity him, but she wished he would take some time for himself every now and again, maybe go on a date or something. But her trip from their house, a euphemism at its best, to the school was pretty much a blur of turned corners and stop signs. Well, most of it was blurry due to her running from her driver, but also because she was nervous. The last thing she wanted was for people to think she was stuck up, and a personal driver would put her right up there with the elite snobs at the private schools.

"Calm down, you're a Kuchiki now, you can do this," Rukia muttered under her breath as she adjusted her uniform for the hundredth time. Students skidded around her, chatting happily to their friends and significant others. She knew she was standing in the middle of the school's entrance, but for some reason her feet wouldn't budge. When someone knocked into her shoulder, sending her forward, she managed to get into a slow rhythm. She didn't see who had bumped her, but she had a sneaky feeling it was the red-head walking a few paces in front of her, gesturing wildly to a tall, short-haired girl at her side.

She managed to slip past them as they entered the building, and went to search for her allocated shoe locker. It took Rukia a while, but she managed to find it, and by then most of the student were already on their way to homeroom. At first she thought it was a good thing, but then realised she had no idea where the school's administration was. With pure luck she managed to find her way, also learning where quite a few other public areas in the school were.

"Good morning," Rukia said as she entered the room, pulling her shoulders back and lifting her head high- Byakuya would have been proud.  
"Good morning, my dear," the elderly lady said as Rukia went to stand in front of her desk. "What can I do for you?"

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki, I'm a transfer student and it's my first day…" Rukia started to say, but the lady interjected.

"Say no more, I know all about you." She smiled as she handed Rukia a clipboard and a pen. "Just fill this out for me and we'll have you in class before the first period."

Rukia thanked the lady before sitting down on the couch across the room. There was a piece of paper clipped onto the plastic board, "Transfer Student" written in bold at the top. It was just a questionnaire for her general information and any queries she might have.

"See, nice and quick," the lady said as Rukia handed her the clipboard back after five minutes.

"Now, have a look over these, I'll quickly call for someone to escort you to your first class." Rukia nodded, accepting her package. Inside she found her class schedule, a rule book and a few pamphlets for the school's clubs.

"Can Uryu Ishida please report to administration," the lady asked into an intercom next to her desk. There was a blurred reply, but the lady seemed to be able to understand it. She motioned for Rukia to take a seat while she waited. It wasn't long before someone appeared in the doorway.

"Ah, Uryu, thank you for coming," the lady said, giving him a warm smile. Rukia got up from her seat, clutching her package to her chest.

"No problem," Uryu said before turning to face Rukia. "You much be Rukia, welcome to Karakura High," he said. He sounded pleasant enough, but Rukia didn't miss his calculating gaze; his blue eyes inspecting her every move. "Thank you," Rukia said, making sure that he wouldn't pick up the slight tremble in her voice. Sure, he intimidated her, but she was no stranger to intimidation.

Without another word, Uryu turned on his heal and stepped out of the room. Rukia waved at the reception lady before following him. Even though she needed to take two steps for every one he took, but at least she managed to fall into step with him.

"Homeroom is about to end, so I'm just going to take you straight to your first class," Uryu stated, not bothering to even glance at her, so Rukia didn't say anything. Their first class was science, which was probably why it wasn't in their homeroom class.

The bell rang as they stopped in front of their class, but they didn't go in until the other students started to arrive. Some of them threw curious glances in Rukia's direction, but didn't approach her. Uryu, clearly deciding his job was done, left her standing in the front as he sat down at his desk.

"Good morning, students, I hope you all had a nice holiday," the teacher said as he stepped into the room. He was a thin man, but the way he walked showed that it didn't mean he was to be messed with. "Mr. Uruhara is the name, and don't even think of calling me anything else."

It wasn't until he was about to sit down that Mr Uruhara noticed Rukia standing by the door.

"Attention please," Mr Uruhara called, but the class was too noisy. Instead of raising his voice, he simply pulled something red out of his jacket's pocket. A balloon, Rukia realised as he put the rubbery ends to his lips and started to blow. Next he grabbed a pin from his desk and, giving Rukia a sly grin, raised it to the balloon. Rukia managed to grip her package in a way that allowed her to cover her ears as the balloon exploded. All the student swivelled forward in their seats, looking for the origin of the sound.

"Attention. Please." Mr Uruhara repeated, and the class remained deadly silent. "Okay, I have some news!" he exclaimed, "We have a new student joining us. Mrs Kuchiki, please introduce yourself."

Rukia stepped forward, clutching the pleats of her skirt nervously with her free hand.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, my name is Rukia Kuchiki, please take care of me," Rukia said, a phrase she has practice multiple times to herself in the mirror. "Thank you, please take a seat in any open spot, I'm going to be assigning different seats anyway," Mr Uruhara said once she was done. Rukia took a seat next to the window.

"Great, let's take attendance, shall we?" Mr Uruhara picked up his class list and started calling out names alphabetically, each time handing the student a piece of paper when they answered.

All except for one was in the class, and it was just as the students had taken their new seats that the door burst open, a panting boy standing there.  
"Ah, Ichigo, how nice of you to join us," Mr Uruhara said; the two clearly knew each other.

"Yeah, yeah," the orange-haired boy, Ichigo, muttered, lifting his one hand behind his head and rolling his eyes. Without a word of apology, Ichigo crossed the room and took the last remaining seat, which happened to be in front of Rukia. Even though she hadn't even spoken to him, she knew one thing about Ichigo. He annoyed her. There was just something about his scowl that made her itch for a fight. But of course, her days of pointless bickering were over, she had more important things to worry about.

"Okay, let's start the class," Mr Uruhara said, not bothering to say anything else to Ichigo.

As the class started, Rukia realised the second problem she was going to have with Ichigo- his length. He was at least four heads taller than her when they sat, meaning that she couldn't see the board in front. She tried to lean to the sides, but it didn't help much. With a sigh, Rukia resigned herself to having an auditory class.

After the class, Rukia considered asking him if they could switch, but he was out the door before she could reach him. At least her next class would be fine… Or so Rukia though, but that wasn't the case.

Due to their homeroom being in decreasing alphabetical order, Rukia once again found herself sitting behind the orange giant. And, seeing as most of her classes were in that class, she knew she needed to get to him before he got settled.

By the time first break came around, Rukia had planned out her approach, but never got to it.

"Hi, Rukia, right?" a small voiced asked from the table to her right. It was the girl she suspected of bumping into her that morning.  
"Oh, yes," Rukia said, pasting a smile on her face.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Orihime," the girl announced, turning her body so that she completely faced Rukia. Rukia glanced in front of her, but Ichigo had already left.

"It's nice to meet you, too." Rukia turned her body as well, not wanting to seem rude. She knew she was going to need a friend, and Orihime seemed like a nice person.

"Making friends with the new girl?" someone asked as the they pulled a desk closer to Rukia and Orihime.

"Oh, Tatsuki, welcome! Is your homeroom nearby?" Orihime asked, putting her lunch down in front of her.

"Yeah, I'm just down the hall," Tatsuki replied before turning to Rukia.

"Tatsuki Arisawa," she said, putting an identity to the short-haired friend.

"Rukia Kuchiki."

"So, where are you from, Rukia Kuchiki?" Tatsuki asked, digging into her own lunch.

"I'm from Tokyo, but I moved here during the holiday," Rukia said, trying to keep as vague as possibly; she didn't feel like explaining her situation. "Oh, I've always wanted to live in the city," Orihime piped in, and for the first time, Rukia noticed what she eating. It looked like rice with random things thrown into it.

"If you're wondering what's in Orihime's lunch, don't bother, it'll only confuse you," Tatsuki said, noticing Rukia's fascination. "That's mean," Orihime said, pouting at her friend. Rukia couldn't help but smile, they were obviously extremely close.

"Don't' worry if you're cooking is strange, Hime, Ichigo will still love for the size of your heart. And if not that, at least the size of your boobs," Tatsuki said nonchalantly, taking Rukia by surprise. Luckily her response wasn't as visible as Orihime's, who was almost as red as her hair.

"Tatsuki!" she exclaimed, not sure what to cover; her face or her chest. Finally she settled for lying down on the table. Both Rukia and Tatsuki laughed.  
"So, Ichigo?" Rukia asked, hoping they wouldn't think she was being rude by snooping.

Orihime looked like she was about to deny it, but instead gave in. "Yeah," she sighed, lifting her head from the wooden surface.

Swallowing her annoyance at the thought of him, Rukia said, "Wow, how long have you guys been dating?"

"Well, they would have been together for two years now, if Orihime had asked him out the day she realised she loved him," Tatsuki explained, Orihime once again letting out an exasperated groan.

"Unrequited then?"

"Pretty much."

"Speaking of Ichigo, where did he run off to? I though everyone had lunch in their homeroom?" Rukia asked, hoping that maybe she could confront him there.  
"Oh, he, Uryu, and Chad have lunch up on the roof, always have," Tatsuki said, closing her bento box and stuffing it back into her bag.

Rukia was about to ask how she could get there, but realised it might seem a little strange. Also, the end of lunch was announced by the bell. Tatsuki said her goodbye and moved her seat back into its place.

It wasn't long before Rukia, once again, found herself staring at the back of Ichigo's orange head. She could almost feel his scowl through his skull.  
The day ended before she could reach him, the only class remaining PE, and Rukia's last chance for confrontation.

"Rukia, do you work out?" Orihime asked as they were getting changed. Luckily one of the girl's weren't feeling well and allowed Rukia to borrow her clothes.

"Every now and then," Rukia said, quickly pulling the shirt over her flat stomach. She also couldn't help but notice how Orihime was struggling to get her own shirt of her chest. "Here," Rukia muttered, pulling on the sides of the shirt to get it down. She figured it was better to leave the front of the hem to Orihime.

"I wonder what today's class will be," Orihime said excitedly as they made their way to the school's gym. It was as they entered the enormous room that Rukia finally noticed her chance to speak to Ichigo.

As Orihime started talking to some of the girls from another class, Rukia slipped away.

Ichigo stood with his back to her, one arm pulling the other to stretch. Rukia tried her best to not stare at the muscles rippling across them as his shirt moved around.  
"Excuse me," Rukia said, her throat suddenly going dry. Ichigo didn't seem to hear her.

"Excuse me." Her voice was a little louder, but Ichigo still didn't respond. Eyebrow twitching in irritation, Rukia cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, Ichigo!" she almost yelled, stopping him mid-stretch. Confused, Ichigo gave one look over his shoulder, but due to his height, there was no way that he would be able to see Rukia.

"Down here," Rukia muttered.

Cocking his head slightly, Ichigo's eyes met hers, a chill suddenly rolling down her spine.

"Oh, it's you, sorry, didn't see you all the way down there," Ichigo said, but the mischievous look in his eyes told that he wasn't really sorry.

"Ha-ha, very funny." Rukia tried to keep her emotions in check, but she hated it when people treated her like a little kid.

"So, midget, what can I do for you?" Ichigo asked, crossing his hands over his chest as he bent down to be the same length as she was.

Rukia's hands bawled into fists at her side, her head dipping down ever so slightly so that he couldn't see her eyes.

"Change seats with me," she said, her words coming out clipped.

"Sorry, can't hear you from up here," Ichigo said, bending further forward. "Please repeat that, midget."

As if a switch had been flipped, Rukia lost it. In one swift movement, Rukia grabbed Ichigo's shirt collar and yanked him a couple of inches closer.

"I said, stupid, change seats with me, so that I don't have to look at your orange head in every class," she said, her voice ice cold. Some of the nearby students stopped their conversation and focused their attention on them instead. It seemed to have a ripple effect, because soon Rukia and Ichigo was the main attraction.

Ichigo, seemingly annoyed by the attention he was being given, shrugged her hand off and said, "Yeah? Why should I?"

In her life, Rukia was never as glad to be interrupted as she was when the teacher walk in at that moment.

"Good afternoon, please gather around," the teacher's booming voice filled the hall. Rukia, reluctantly, turned and went to find Orihime. She didn't miss Ichigo whisper something about her height under his breath.

"Okay, since this is only an introduction class, we'll be doing some fun activities do end the day with," the coach said, but even he didn't sound overly enthusiastic about it.

The coach then proceeded to divide them into two groups, boys and girls mixed. To Rukia's utmost relief, Ichigo was in the opposing team. That also happens to be how the war began.

True, Ichigo was taller and stronger than she was, but Rukia was well acquainted with people his size. So, every single activity ended up being a fight between the two of them. After a while some of the students didn't even try to help either of them, they simply watched. Even the coach couldn't get them to stay away from each other.

"Okay, I was going to suggest one more activity, but clearly the results will be the same," the coach announced, his eyes settling on Rukia and Ichigo respectively.

"So, just have entertain yourselves the last fifteen minutes."

The coach had barely finished his sentence before Rukia marched up to Ichigo.

"Let's settle this," she said, her hands on her hips.

"Fine with me, what do you have in mind, shorty," Ichigo retorted.

"How about a fight?" Rukia asked, "If I win, you move."

"I'm not going to fight a girl, especially a little one like you," Ichigo mumbled.

"What if I promise you that it won't be a waste of time?" Rukia said, her voice tempting, but Ichigo still remained reluctant.

"Fine, then how about this, all you have to do is keep me from landing three punches?" When Ichigo didn't oppose, Rukia turned to the coach.

"Coach, do you mind being the ref for our fight?" she asked, putting on a cute smile.

"If it'll get you two to let other people enjoy PE as well, then I'll do anything," the coach muttered, taking a place at the edge of the circle the students started to form around Rukia and Ichigo.

Rukia didn't bother stretching, the entire class had been one long warm-up for her. Apparently Ichigo shared her sentiments, because for the first time in that class, he removed his tracksuit jacket.

"Okay, start."

The words still hung in the air as Rukia lunged forward, taking Ichigo by complete surprise. He raised his arms to deflect her punch, but at the last moment Rukia dropped, using her momentum to slide between his legs. In the time it took Ichigo to turn, Rukia had gotten up, her hand shooting out to stop inches away from his exposed throat.

"That's one," she whispered.

"You're trained," Ichigo said, stepping away from her. "Black belt, Jiu-jitsu," Rukia said, answering his unasked question.

"Then there's no reason for me to hold back," Ichigo said, a grin spreading across his face.

"I told you, didn't I?" They squared off once again, this time creating a tense atmosphere within the hall. Ichigo lunged first this time, but Rukia was ready for him. Lifting her hands, Rukia swat his outstretched arm off its mark and stepped it to hit his open side, but Ichigo turned himself, grabbing Rukia's wrist to pull her off balance. Turning her arm, Rukia yanked out of his grip and stepped away. Unfortunately, Ichigo was on her before she could react, and tripped her feet out from under her.

Rukia hit the ground, her arm shooting out to break her fall, the way her sensei had taught her.

Spinning, Rukia managed to bring Ichigo down as well, hoping his size would make it harder for him to grapple with her. She reached to grab something, anything she could manipulate. Ichigo kept managing to move just out of the way. Clearly, catching him wouldn't work, she's have to give him incentive to catch her. It was clear, if Ichigo had her pinned, there was no way she would win, or that's what it looked like to pretty much everyone.

Getting on her knees, Rukia struck out, allowing Ichigo to catch her wrists; first the one, than the other. And as if scripted, he pushed Rukia into the ground, pinning her hands above her head and keeping her legs apart, in case she kicked out.

Yes, their position wasn't exactly comfortable, even the crowd didn't know where to look, but it was what Rukia wanted. Wrapping her fingers around the wrist of the hand keeping it down, Rukia pulled her left leg in and shoved it into his hip. With a wicked smile, Rukia brought her right leg around, across his arms and hooked her knee around his neck. With a grunt she flung him to the right, her entire hand wrapping around his wrists as she was freed. Placing a foot between the floor and his back, and the floor and his head, Rukia pulled his arm taught across her hip. Ichigo tried to pull away, but by applying the slightest bit of pressure on his locked joint, pain shot down his arm. The moment he stopped, Rukia shot forward and punched the air above his head- the last two strikes.

"I win," Rukia said, the bell in the background matching her tone of finality.

To her surprise, Ichigo didn't huff at being beat by a girl; instead he stood up and extended a hand to her.

Not knowing how to react, Rukia accepted his invitation and let him lift her from the ground. They were still breathing hard, and neither spoke a word as the rest of their classmates bustled to go home.

Rukia was the first to leave, but not before she gave one last look over her shoulder as the doors loomed near. Ichigo followed her every move.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope to hear from all of you again :) And, as for Guest 1's need for lemons, I'm sorry, but I decided this story will be lemons free. Though being so, that does not mean I won't fully abuse the T rating, I'm just not going to cross the line into M. So, please stick with me, I surely hope to make it worth the time!**

 **Oh, Chewbacca says thank you too!**

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Chapter | 2

"We had a deal," Rukia muttered through gritted teeth.

"No, we had a fight," Ichigo retorted, not bothering to lift his head out of his arms.

"The fight was the deal."

"The fight was the fight, I never agreed to the deal."

Rukia stared at the back of his head; from above it was even worse than from behind. And considering it was still in the same seat as the day before, Rukia liked it even less.

She had been repeating the statement to him for the last two days since their fight, but he never reacted. Rukia almost lost her temper the first time, but by now she though that annoying him constantly was a better idea than yelling at him.

"Fine, just know, this won't be the last time I bring it up," Rukia growled, her small hand lifting above her head. In a flash she slammed it down onto Ichigo's insufferable desk, shaking the entire foundation of it. For a moment she thought she heard the screws jiggle.

Ichigo launched backwards, his chair giving out under him as he tumbled to the ground.

"What the hell!?" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head, even though Rukia knew he hadn't hit it. Ichigo was too fast, he managed to stops his fall with his elbows.

"Sorry, there was a fly," Rukia said, her voice sickly sweet. She rubbed her hand onto her skirt, pretending to wipe it clean.

"You wanna have lunch with me and Tatsuki?" Orihime asked as Rukia took her seat behind Ichigo. She pretty much always asked Rukia, but Rukia was grateful, it meant they wanted her there.

"As long as it's somewhere we won't attract idiots," Rukia said, raising her voice so that Ichigo could hear. There was an audible sound of Ichigo grinding his teeth.

"Don't worry about him, his place is on the roof." Orihime grinned. It took a few seconds, but a plan popped into Rukia's head. She was so excited, she swore she could have kissed Orihime's pretty red head at that moment.

"Thank you for the offer, but do you mind if we eat somewhere else for a change?" Rukia asked politely, lowering her voice as their homeroom teacher entered the room. Not getting the chance to ask where, Orihime simply gave Rukia a thumbs up.

Another gruelling few hours was spent behind Ichigo's mane, but Rukia was able to endure it, her thoughts mainly on her plan.

The moment the bell signalled lunch, Rukia had Orihime by the arm and was tugging her out the room. Ichigo had been called by the teacher, meaning she had a few minutes before he would arrive.

"Where are we going?" Orihime asked, desperately holding onto her bento box.

Rukia didn't reply, but managed to find a route that would pass Tatsuki's class before their final destination.

"We're having lunch on the roof," Rukia said once they had Tatsuki in line as well.

"Why?" Tatsuki asked, but it's clear that she was only asking for Orihime' sake. Rukia could be pretty scary when she was determined to do something.

"Because, Ichigo's sitting in my rightful place," Rukia said, but neither of her newfound friends enquired what the relevance of it was.

Sunshine hit Rukia's skin the moment she opened the door. If she wasn't in a hurry, she would have stood in that same spot for a few seconds longer. But, as always, duty called.

"Hey, guys!" Rukia called out to the two boys sitting alone in the corner of the roof. Uryu gave her a suspicious glance, but greeted her back.

Rukia looked at the boy next to Uryu, and for a moment wondered how old he actually was. He was definitely one of the biggest men Rukia had come across, and his unnaturally tanned skin made him seem almost foreign.

"Orihime, Tatsuki," Rukia heard Uryu greet them.

"Nice to meet you, my name's Rukia Kuchiki," Rukia said, extending her hand to the lumbering beast of a boy.

"Chad," he simply said, his hand completely enveloping her as they shook.

"So, Chad, tell me, have you guys always sat up here?" Rukia asked, knowing that her time was running out, so she needed to get straight to the point.

"Pretty much," Chad muttered. It didn't take Rukia long to realise that Chad wasn't a man of many words.

"And you always sit in the same spot?"

"I guess."

"Then I'm guessing Ichigo sits in the corner?" Rukia persisted, her eyes lingering on the empty hole between the two boys.

Chad simply nodded.

"Great," Rukia said with a smiling. She heard the roof's door open just as she plopped herself between Chad and Uryu.

Ichigo appeared in their line of sight, his one hand in his pocket.

"Oh, Orihime, Tatsuki, what are you guys…" Ichigo trailed off, his eyes noticing that his usual seat was- barely- filled by Rukia.

"Hey, that's my seat," Ichigo said, and as the words left his mouth, Rukia couldn't help but smile deviously.

"What was that?" Rukia asked, "Your seat? I'm sorry, do you want me to move?"

Rukia's could see his fingers curl into a fist in his pocket, and his expression was what made the rush all that more worth it.

"No, don't worry, it's just a seat, here's as good as any," Ichigo said through thin lips, but sat down in the spot he was pointing at. Rukia didn't miss Orihime's slight blush as Ichigo's arm skimmed hers.

"How sweet of you." Ichigo and Rukia smiled at each other, but it was about as friendly as a tiger squaring off with a puma.

All through lunch, Rukia could see Ichigo start to lean back, only to find that his usual ledge wasn't there. Instead Rukia rested against it; one of the fruits of her labour. In the end, it was simply a contest to see who could throw secretive glance without getting caught, but it failed miserably most of the time. They made eye contact on several occasion, and it didn't go unnoticed by Tatsuki or Orihime.

The conversation carried on nicely, but it wasn't long until Rukia became the subject; something she was avoiding.

"Oh, Rukia, which high school were you at in Tokyo?" Orihime asked, genuine curiosity spilling out of every fibre of her being. How could Rukia avoid it?

"That's a tricky one," Rukia started, gaining even Ichigo's attention. "The last one was Tokyo High, but I can't remember all the ones before that."

"How many were you in?" Orihime's eyes were the size of eggs as she regarded the small girl across from her.

"I think fifteen… sixteen maybe?" Rukia said sheepishly, making sure she didn't make eye contact with any of the people surrounding her.

"Wow, that must have been shit," Tatsuki commented, her chopsticks still hovering mid-air.

"It was, but I think I'm done switching over now, so I'm just happy for that," Rukia said, a genuine smile covering her pale face. And it was true, there was nothing better than the possibility that she could finally settle down in one place longer than a month or two.

There was a clap sound, and Rukia lifted her eyes to find Orihime with her hands clapped together, a lightbulb practically flashing above her head.

"I got it, we should throw you a welcome party then, invite some of the kids from class too," Orihime said. Rukia wondered if this was her way of making up for prying at what was obviously a sore subject.

"Oh, that's not necessary-" Rukia started to say, but was cut off by Tatsuki.

"That sounds nice, we haven't done something fun in a long time."

"Exactly!"

The more Rukia tried to get them off the idea, the more they persisted, even Uryu and Chad joined the excitement.

"Guys, I'm serious, it's not necessary!" Rukia finally got a word in edgewise.

"Oi, midget, just give it up already. If they want to go out of their way to do something nice, you should just accept it." Ichigo suddenly said, shutting everyone up.

Even though it pained Rukia, she knew he was right. They were trying to be nice, and she wasn't even being modest, she was simply trying to protect her own self-interests.

With a sigh, Rukia have in. "Fine, but on one condition." She looked at her new friends, and Ichigo.

"We have it at my place."

There was a collective cheer, mostly filled in by Orihime and Tatsuki, but even Chad silently pumped his fist into the air.

Rukia couldn't help but feel some warmth starting to bloom in her stomach.

"Brother?" Rukia asked through the set of heavy wooden doors.

"Enter, Rukia," Byakuya's came from the other side of the door; a chill running down Rukia's spine from the amount of authority even two words from him held.

Slowly she pushed the door open, not wanting to look hasty.

Her brother was seated behind his desk. He didn't bother to look up, instead he continued to furiously scribble away on a piece of paper.

"How was school?" Byakuya asked once he put his pen down, pulling his hair over his shoulder so that he could lean back in his chair.

"It was very nice, thank you," Rukia replied formally, hoping her posture was good enough. Byakuya had drilled her on manners and etiquette after taking her in, but her old habits still surfaced from time to time.

"Have you made any friends?"

"Yes, I have, it's actually what I have come to talk to you about." Without realising, Rukia started to nervously rub her hands together, trying to approach the subject of her welcoming party carefully.

"My friends want to throw me a welcoming party, and I offered to have it done here. I would like permission to do so in your home," Rukia asked, sounding as assertive as she possibly could.

Byakuya sighed. "Rukia, this is your home too, and if you want to invite a few friends over then you are more than welcome to do so," he said, a small smile lifting on the corners of his mouth.

"Of course, I'm sorry, the concept of a home is still new to me," Rukia said, trying to laugh it off, but the sad undertone was clear as day. "And thank you, is Friday night okay?"

"Yes, shall I call the caterers?" Byakuya offered, but Rukia quickly lifted her hands, waving them frantically in front of her.

"No, please, don't trouble yourself brother, I'll just buy a few things from the grocery store."

Byakuya gave her one last look before agreeing, and Rukia left after that. She was happy, there was no denying that, but she didn't allow it to bloom.

Weaving her way through the maze-like hallways of the Kuchiki mansion, Rukia soon stepped into her room. It wasn't big, but to Rukia, it was the size of a small house. The places the foster system gave her was with families who didn't have children and desperately needed the money that came with the job. This meant the rooms she got were pretty much the size of Harry Potter's.

Flinging her school bag onto her bed, Rukia dug her phone out from between books and unlocked it. Her fancy phone was also something she needed to get used to.

There was already a new message from Orihime, just so that she could save the number. Rukia quickly texted her that they were all green for her welcoming party.

Barely seconds passed before her phone vibrated, Orihime's reply consisting of more smiley faces than actual words.

With a smile she flopped onto her back, staring at the material covering her canopy bed. Byakuya had clearly tried to be subtle when buying the things for her room, but it was still too classy for Rukia.

Before she realised, Rukia's thoughts started to drift, and to her surprise, she started to think about Ichigo. Initially she tried to push his ugly mug out of her mind, but it just kept popping up.

It's no wonder she dreamt of picking strawberries with her sister that night.

* * *

 **Chewbacca told his friends about the reviews, but they need more reviews before they'll agree to join the cast of my story. Please leave more, do it for the Wookiees.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I apologize for the (extremely) late update! Please enjoy the chapter :)**

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Rukia knew what had to be done, but for some reason she was so nervous, and it led to her forgetting some particularly important things- like party cups for drinks. It was just a small gathering with the people from her class, but it still managed to rattle her.

It was for this reason that Rukia practically sprinted down to the nearest convenience story in search of any and all plastic cups.

The first people would arrive in the next fifteen minutes, but Rukia's pride refused to let her ask Byakuya if she could just use some of his less expensive glasses.

She was fully intended on using things that would be found at a normal household when a party is held.

"Thank you very much!" Rukia said as she rushed out of the store, and straight into a wall.

"Agh," Rukia heard the wall exclaim, but she was too busy rubbing her nose to respond.

With a gasp, Rukia practically ducked her head into her plastic bag to check that the cups weren't broken, but it seemed karma was out to get her for the sins of her past life.

"No, no, no, no," she started to chant, checking to see if even one cup made it out alive, but no such luck. They were all squished.

"You've got to be kidding me," the wall sighed, "Of all the people to run into."

Looking up for the first time, Rukia nearly dropped her bag. "Of course, the one person who can single handedly ruin my entire day."

"Rukia."

"Ichigo."

"Midget."

"Orange ape."

"Pipsqueak."

"Neanderthal."

"Aren't those basically the same?" Ichigo asked, luckily snapping Rukia out of their little argument.

"I don't have time for this, you just ruined the only cups I could get and I don't have time to look for others," Rukia said, her irritation taking Ichigo a bit aback.

For a second he looked like he planned on saying something sarcastic, but instead he just grabbed Rukia by the wrist and pulled her down the street.

"What do you think you're doing? I know you can't control yourself and everything, but-" Rukia started to say, but Ichigo realised where her sentence was heading.

"Oh please, if I wanted that, I'd at least grab someone who's started wearing a training bra," Ichigo muttered, his grip on Rukia loosening slightly.

"Why you…" Rukia started, but she didn't really know where she was going with it.

"My younger sister's birthday was last week, we still have a bunch of plastic cups left, so just shut up for once and come with me," Ichigo said, and for a moment Rukia struggled to digest that he was trying to help her.

She was about to remind him that she didn't have much time, but she realised it would sound ungrateful. Instead she swallowed her comment and marched on.

Luckily Ichigo's house was just around the corner, and it bothered Rukia that he lived so close by.

Pushing open the front door, Ichigo motioned for Rukia to go first.

The house was small compared to hers, but Rukia found it rather homey. All the open space in the mansion made it seem more like an antique shop than a home.

"Just wait here, and please don't make a sound, my dad is home," Ichigo said before stepping into the open kitchen. He dug around for a few seconds before coming up with more than a few cups.

"Ichigo! Back so soon?" a voice roared from upstairs. Rukia barely had time to register before a black mass came hurtling past her and straight at Ichigo.

With a sigh, Ichigo turned the cups out of harm's way and stepped to the side. The mass flew straight into the wall; Ichigo pretending it wasn't even there as he moved towards Rukia.

"Here," Ichigo said, handing Rukia the cups.

"Ooooo, no wonder you didn't fight back, didn't want to scare off your new lady friend?" the mass asked from inside the kitchen.

Stepping out into the living room, Rukia was finally able to make the assumption that it was Ichigo's dad.

"No, dad, I'm not trying to impress her, and she's not my lady friend," Ichigo said, his voice proving that he had had this conversation with his father more than once. "She's just a girl from my class, and I'm giving her the left-over plastic cups."

"Oh, you teenagers and your slang. Plastic cups, is that code for something?" My Kurosaki asked, rubbing his hands together like a mastermind who just figured out the hero's plan.

"We're leaving now," Ichigo said, putting his hands on Rukia's back as he pushed her towards the front door.

"Okay! Enjoy the plastic cups!" Mr Kurosaki called, emphasizing the end of his sentence.

"Is your dad always like that?" Rukia asked as Ichigo continued to push her away from the house before stopping in the driveway. Rukia could still feel his hand on her back, and it surprised her how gentle it was.

"Pretty much," Ichigo grumbled, no doubt remembering a few situations. "Wait here," he instructed her and disappeared around the side of the house. There was a cold spot on Rukia's back.

Ichigo reappeared about a minute later, a bike wheeling next to him.

"I'm guessing you're not going to make it in time if I make you walk," Ichigo said, answering Rukia's questioning gaze.

Rukia started to object, but once again, realised she didn't have any other option.

Ichigo hopped onto the bike, steading it before giving Rukia the go-ahead. Hesitantly, Rukia lowered herself onto the seat behind Ichigo, clutching the two packets of cups to her chest.

The bike lurched as they moved forward, and Rukia fought to keep her balance. With a sigh of defeat, she leaned her shoulder into Ichigo's back and forced herself to endure it for the ride to her house.

"Thank you," Rukia muttered, hoping that the sound of the wind would drown out her words. She didn't know if Ichigo heard, but if he didn't, he never made a scene like Rukia expected he would.

"Take a left here!" Rukia called as they passed the convenience store. She continued to holler out commands until they pulled up in front of the Kuchiki mansion.

"Holy…" Rukia heard Ichigo whisper, the exact response she had been hoping to avoid. He was probably getting it into his head that she was used to the life of the rich and spoiled.

"Will you stop gawking?" Rukia asked as she hopped off the bike, dusting her skirt off.

Ichigo continued to stare at the house, making no move to dismount his bike. It then occurred to Rukia that he probably never planned on coming to the party.

"Are you coming in or what?" Rukia asked, turning to the expansive front gate.

"I'm invited?" Ichigo asked from behind her.

"I don't remember saying 'the whole class, except Ichigo'," Rukia said, even though she did think it when she announced her party. "Plus, it's my way of saying thank you for the cups."

Ichigo pushed his bike until he was standing beside her in front of the gate. Rukia had already rung the bell, but they were waiting for the attendant to come open.

"Ah, miss Rukia!" the attendant said, a quizzical look crossing his face, "How did you get out?"

"If I told you, you'd probably find a way to stop me, so let's not worry about the details," Rukia said as she pushed the gate further open. Ichigo greeted the man as he passed, and gave him his bike after being asked.

"You had to sneak out of your house?" Ichigo asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I don't have to, it's not a prison, but it's easier. I would have snuck back in if you hadn't come along," Rukia said, taking them both to the drawing room- her party was to be held there.

"So, it's a pretty nice place you've got here. What do your parents do for a living?" Ichigo asked, tracing his finger along the surface of an antique wooden coffee table.

"What's with the small talk?" Rukia asked, completely evading the question.

"I'm sorry, would you prefer I pick a fight?" Ichigo asked, stopping his sight-seeing tour of the room.

"That's not what I meant, just don't pretend like you care," Rukia said, starting to unpack the cups on the table. She had already laid out a few bowls of chips and other snacks, and the cool-drink bottles were stocked in the mini-fridge she had pulled into the room.

"Rukia, I think this is getting a little old, don't you?" Ichigo asked, and Rukia could have sworn he sounded tired. But she never got to answer, because the first guests started to arrive at that moment.

"Welcome!" Rukia said as two of their classmates entered the room, their expressions pretty much the same as Ichigo's when he first saw her house.

Rukia and Ichigo never got to finish their discussion, because new people just kept stepping through the door. Strangely enough, Orihime and Tatsuki arrive along with the last of her classmates.

"Rukia, why didn't you tell us you're rich?" Tatsuki asked as she pulled Rukia underneath her arm and drove her knuckles into her head.

"Hey, Tatsuki, don't you think you're being a little aggressive?" Uryu asked as they spotted the ruckus.

"No, but rich boys like you wouldn't understand," Tatsuki said, still not letting go of Rukia.

In one swift motion, Rukia reached her hand up and pushed the tips of her fingers into Tatsuki's trapezius muscle. Tatsuki gave a yelp and loosened her arm, giving Rukia space to escape.

"I need to get some things from the kitchen. Uryu, will you please help?" Rukia asked, not really giving him a choice in the matter.

She led them to the kitchen, where she started pulling out more packets of snacks and a bottle or two of soda.

"Never thought I'd see the inside of the infamous Byakuya Kuchiki's house," Uryu said, leaning against the isle in the middle of the kitchen.

"You know my brother?" Rukia asked, a little surprised, because she hadn't thought that anyone made the connection. But then again, Uryu was much sharper than the rest of her classmates.

"He and my father do business from time to time," Uryu stated, "But what I didn't know, is that he had a sister. As far as my father told me, Byakuya us an only child."

Rukia stopped her unpacking, instead straightening her spine to look Uryu straight in the eye.

"What exactly is it that you know, Uryu?" Rukia asked, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

"Well, I know he was married to a woman, but she died from ill health a few years ago, but considering your age, you can't possibly their daughter," Uryu began, not breaking eye contact with Rukia once. "So, who exactly are you, Rukia?"

With a sigh, Rukia pulled herself onto the isle and opened a pack of chips. Uryu soon joined her, knowing that the battle was his victory.

"My sister's name was Hisana, and she was married to Byakuya. We were separated when we were very young, and I never saw her again. A few months ago, Byakuya managed to locate me, and considering I was an orphan, he adopted me and brought me here."

It was a short summary of what happened, and it pretty much said nothing about her past, but it was also the first time Rukia told anyone about her circumstances.

"I see, and if you don't mind me asking, where are your real parents?" Uryu asked, taking a chip and placing it in his mouth.

"Dead, probably. Hisana and I never knew them," Rukia muttered.

"I lost my mother too," Uryu said, surprising Rukia with his honesty. She looked at him through the corner of her eye, wondering if it was the reason that he was always so serious.

"I'm guessing the reason you didn't want to tell anyone is because you're afraid they'll start jumping to conclusions, but you'll be surprised Rukia, a few of us don't have either one of our parents anymore," Uryu told her, but he didn't disclose the names of said individuals.

"Thanks, Uryu, I needed to hear that," Rukia said, giving him a smile as she slid off the isle. He gave her what could be considered a smile in Uryu terms, and followed her. Rukia handed him two of the soda bottles and a few packets of chips.

Rukia then stuffed some into her own arms and they started to walk back, but just as they passed the isle, one of Rukia's bottles slipped from between her arms.

Uryu, reaching out to stop it, managed to slam into Rukia and the two of them sprawled to the ground; Rukia on top of Uryu.

"Hay, four-eyes, midget, you two in here?" Ichigo called as he entered the kitchen. "Orihime's worried that you're taking so damn long."

Rukia and Uryu remained in their position, neither even breathing properly. There was no way they would get out of their situation unscathed if Ichigo were to see the two of them together.

At first it sounded like Ichigo would turn around, but to both their dismays, Ichigo stepped into the kitchen.

"Oh, so this is where you're hiding?" Ichigo said as he rounded the isle, finding them in their considerably compromising spot.

Rukia climbed off of Uryu, trying to grab as much of her chips and dignity that she could before facing Ichigo.

"Jeez, Uryu, if I had known you're such a ladies-man, then I wouldn't have left Rukia alone with you," Ichigo mocked as Uryu climbed too his own feet.

"Calm down, Kurosaki, we only fell," Uryu said, bending down to pick up the things he had been carrying.

"Okay, whatever you say," Ichigo said before grabbing the things from Rukia's arms and into his own.

"Seeing Uryu's moves, I need to step up my game if I want to reach his level with the ladies," Ichigo said, turning to walk with Uryu back to the drawing room.

"Ichigo, how did you find this place on your own anyway?" Rukia asked as they put the things down on the refreshments table.

"Oh, I didn't, I bumped into one of your housekeepers and he explained the way," Ichigo said, making it sound like nothing, but Rukia knew that it wasn't. They didn't have any male housekeepers… and pretty much all the other male staff would have left by then.

"Oh crap, what did he look like?" Rukia asked.

"Um, I don't know, tall, with long black hair. He pretty much wore the expression Uryu always wears," Ichigo said, opening one of the chips packets and replenishing an almost empty bowl.

"Ichigo, please tell me you were on your best behaviour?" Rukia asked, swinging Ichigo around so that he could see how serious she was being.

"If you mean did I say 'please' and 'thank you,' then yes, but more importantly, why are you acting like a crazy person?" Ichigo asked.

"That wasn't a servant, dipshit, that was my brother, and I don't want him thinking I associate myself with people who don't possess basic manners," Rukia fumed, poking her finger into his chest.

"You met Byakuya Kuchiki?" Uryu asked, the closest expression to disbelief crossing his features.

"Why does that sound like its important?" Ichigo asked.

"Surely you've heard of Gotei 13?" Uryu asked, giving his friend an incredulous look.

"Aren't they that big martial arts school, with thirteen dojos across Japan?" Ichigo asked, still not catching on.

"Yes, and who is one of the main leaders?"

"I don't…" Ichigo started to say, but the way his sentence trailed off, made it clear that the sun of realisation was finally dawning over his orange head.

"Shit." Ichigo muttered.

"Yes, Ichigo, shit. Do you understand why I didn't want you meeting him like that?" Rukia asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You make it sound like a patted him on the back, slurring goodnight after insane amounts of alcohol!" Ichigo objected, "Believe it or not, Rukia, I do have manners."

"I sure as hell haven't seen them."

"Because you make it hard to use them."

"Goes both ways, moron."

"My point exactly, midget."

With a huff Rukia narrowed her eyes and glared up at Ichigo. Once again, they were stuck in a stubbornness-induced stalemate and neither planned on budging.

"Rukia?" Orihime interrupted, but seemed even more unsure than usual when she saw the heated look between Ichigo and Rukia.

"Yes?" Rukia replied, reluctantly taking her eyes of Ichigo.

"Some of the others want to know where the bathroom is," Orihime explained, pointing at a group of kids behind her.

"Oh, I'll show you guys," Rukia offered, walking away from Uryu and Ichigo.

Other than her little skirmish with Ichigo, the rest of the party went down without a problem. It wasn't until after everyone left that Rukia ran into Ichigo again.

"Need some help?" Ichigo asked as Rukia was gathering plastic cups from around the room.

"I thought you left with Uryu?" Rukia asked.

"He seemed upset that he couldn't help you clean up, so I offered to do it instead," Ichigo said as he started helping her.

"Isn't that nice of you," Rukia commented, immediately regretting her sharp tone. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for," she apologised.

"No worries, this is the first time we're not picking a fight," Ichigo laughed, picking up the last stray cup.

"I guess it is," Rukia repeated, and to her surprise, a smile tugged at the sides of her mouth.

They continued cleaning in silence, only grunting momentary orders and responses. And with this comfortable silence, the managed to clean everything up in under half an hour.

"Thank you," Rukia said as she walked Ichigo to the front gate.

"No problem shrimp, you probably wouldn't have been able to reach the cups on the shelf, so it's a good thing I was there."

Rukia glared up at Ichigo, but he only laughed at her.

When they reached the gate Ichigo looked down at her, his entire body tensing. "You know, I overheard you and Uryu in the kitchen," he admitted.

Rukia's eyes widened, and she clenched her jaw.

"He's right, Uryu, no one will think any less of you for being adopted. I mean, I might not be exactly like you, but I lost my mother when I was very young," Ichigo said, his eyes clouding over darkly.

"Of course people were sad for me, but no one considered me incapable of doing things."

Ichigo's unexpected change took Rukia off guard, and before she knew it, Rukia was on her toes, her hand cupping the side of his face. Ichigo froze.

"Sorry," she exclaimed, yanking her hand away quickly. Rukia cleared her throat.

"Thank you, I promise to keep it in mind." Rukia smiled at Ichigo, her hand still clutched to her chest.

"Goodnight, Rukia," Ichigo said, opening the gate.

"Goodnight," Rukia answered, her eyes not leaving his until the gate was shut.

* * *

 **Hello again!**

 **I would really like to know what you guys think of the story so far, and especially the characters (you know, it on point or OC?) and if there's anything missing that can make it more fun to read! Pretty much all constructive criticism will be much appreciated.**

 **So, please, please, please review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi Guys! I would like to apologize in advance for the length of this chapter. I generally try my best to write much longer ones, but I sort of needed a bridge chapter for the rest of the plot. Call it a useful filled if you'd like (heaven knows, Bleach has enough of them).**

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Chapter | 4

When Rukia arrived in class after the previous night's party, she practically gasped.

Her usual seat was occupied by no one other than Ichigo Kurosaki, and his usual seat was unoccupied.

"You moved!" Rukia wanted to shout at the top of her lungs, to dance around her new desk as if she was doing some Indian tribal dance.

But she didn't. Instead Rukia kept her mouth shut and took the seat in front of Ichigo. "Thank you," she muttered, and Ichigo grunted as his reply.

"Oh, you switched seats," Orihime remarked as she entered the class and Rukia couldn't help but give her a smug smile. She was just glad Ichigo couldn't see it; he would probably start sitting in his old seat again.

"Okay, settle down, it's time to take attendance," the homeroom teacher said seconds after the bell rang.

The rest of the school day went down without a hitch, and even Ichigo seemed to be on his best behaviour. Rukia missed the bickering a little, but not because she wanted to fight, but because it was actually fun that she could speak to Ichigo that way and not have him take it to heart.

"Rukia, want to go check out that new store I told you about at the party?" Orihime asked as they gathered their things and headed out.

"Sure," Rukia smiled, knowing her brother wasn't expecting her back for a while.

The store was a bit of a walk, but Rukia and Orihime chattered away happily until they reached it. Turns out, the store sells pretty much everything from home decorations to clothing.

Orihime was after a specific object, and as she ran through the aisles, Rukia decided to spare herself the heartache and have a look through the variety of dresses they had tucked into one of the corners of the store.

Her hand skimmed over almost every material she knew and soon she found herself standing in front of a black dress. It wasn't anything formal, but its pure simplicity attracted her.

"Oooh, that's pretty," Orihime suddenly said into Rukia's ear, but it didn't freak her out.

"It is, but I don't know when I'd wear it," Rukia said, pulling the hanger of the hook and taking it with her to the nearest full-length mirror she could find.

Holding it over her school uniform, Rukia couldn't help but think that it would look really good on her. It's not like the dress was the kind you wore to a dance, but you at least needed a date-type of opportunity.

"Screw it," Rukia muttered and walked to the cashier. She didn't bother fitting it on, knowing it was all she would need to talk herself out of it. If it didn't fit, she'd bring it back.

"Have a nice day," the cashier said as Rukia tugged the handles of the plastic bag into the crook of her arm.

Orihime wasn't far behind her, but her five bags weighed her down a bit. Rukia quickly managed to persuade her into giving two of the bags.

After this they wondered around aimlessly, simply enjoying each other's company for a while longer. It was as they were getting something to drink from one of the cafes lining the street that something, or someone, caught Rukia's eye.

It was just a flash, but she was almost certain she recognised the red tint of hair. She swallowed, hoping that she was wrong about who it belonged to.

"Are you okay?" Orihime asked, looking at Rukia with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just thought I saw someone I knew," Rukia admitted, but she kept throwing glances over her shoulder to prove to herself she just hallucinated.

"Oh, is it a friend from Tokyo?" Orihime asked, standing up a bit. "Don't you want to go after her? Or is it a him?" And then she gasped. "Is it your boyfriend coming to look for you?"

"No, it's nothing like that, we grew up together in the city, but he has no reason to be here," Rukia said, ushering for the girl to sit back down.

"Oh, so it is a boy," Orihime said suggestively as she took a sip of her super pink milkshake; Rukia wasn't even sure what the flavour was, because strawberry did not look like that.

"Stop that," Rukia laughed, raising her cup of tea to her lips.

"I'm sure Ichigo won't be all that glad to hear a guy came all the way from the city to find you," Orihime said after a while, her eyes locked solely on her chap-stick covered straw.

"Why?" Rukia asked, not catching on.

"He clearly has a thing for you." Rukia almost choked on her tea.

"Carrot-top does not have a thing for me, believe me, it isn't possible," Rukia explained, waving her hands in front of her face.

"You might not see it, but he doesn't really show that much emotion around the rest of us," Orihime looked sad. "Sure, he's nice, and I know it's genuine, but he rarely loses his cool like that when we fight with him. You clearly have some king of influence on him."

"Yes, and it's called irritation. I irritate him," Rukia tried to defend her point. There was no way Ichigo would like her in that way. "Plus, he'd be even more stupid than I think he is to pick someone like me over you."

Orihime blushed, but Rukia could tell it really bothered her that she and Ichigo were spending so much time together.

"Okay, how about this," Rukia said, leaning forward and catching Orihime's eyes. "I, on the Kuchiki name, swear I will do everything in my power to get you and that ginger together."

Orihime looked taken aback, clearly she wasn't expecting Rukia to do anything about her troubles.

"You're such a good person, Rukia," Orihime said, her hands coming up to wipe at her watering eyes.

Rukia didn't know how to comfort her, action was her speciality, not comforting. So she simply smiled caringly and finished the last of her tea.

They parted ways after that, and all the way home, Rukia started planning how she would get someone as stubborn as Ichigo to notice Orihime's feelings.

"This is never going to work," Rukia muttered as she lugged herself into her room. In the time it took her to reach her house, Rukia exhausted every single possibility. Nothing seemed solid enough, and she wasn't planning on taking risks.

Hanging the dress in her closet, Rukia threw her school uniform into the laundry basket before slipping on something a bit more casual. And with that, her stomach growled.

Considering the size of the house, the kitchen was a bit of a walk from her room. Motivating herself by thinking of the nice things she could eat, Rukia left her room. To her surprise, she wasn't the only one in the kitchen.

"Brother," Rukia said as she stepped into the cool room.

"Ah, Rukia, how was school?" Byakuya asked, spreading butter on a piece of bread.

"It was very nice, and I spent the day with a friend of mine," Rukia said, standing awkwardly before she remembered Byakuya scolding her for acting like a stranger when he was around.

"Is it that one I had the pleasure of meeting the other night?" Byakuya asked as Rukia passed him and grabbed a bottle of green tea from the fridge, then proceeding to look for anything that was already made.

"I wouldn't exactly call meeting him a pleasure," Rukia muttered, "But no, I spent the day with Orihime."

"He was rather comfortable-acting with me, what is his name?" Byakuya didn't exactly sound annoyed, but he had certain standards of respect, and Rukia highly doubted that Ichigo made them that night.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, he's part of my new friend circle," Rukia said, finally finding an unopened pack of rice cakes.

"The son of Doctor Isshin Kurosaki?" her brother asked.

"I'm not sure, but their house is also a clinic, so it is entirely possible." Rukia started to make for the door again.

"You've been to his house?" The question stopped her dead in her tracks. "Did that boy force you to go?"

Byakuya did not look happy, not in the slightest.

"No, brother, I promise it was nothing like that. He was just helping me out." Rukia grabbed desperately for coherent sentences, because it was clear that Byakuya's sudden mood change was less directed at her and more at Ichigo.

"Oh, I see," Byakuya said, seeming to calm down. "But still, if that boy gives you any problems, I'll kill him."

Rukia swallowed. "I'm sure there will never be a need, but thank you brother, enjoy your lunch." And with that she fled from the kitchen, a nervous sweat breaking out at the back of her neck.

She really did like Byakuya, and she was eternally grateful to him for pulling her out of the shithole that was her orphanage in Tokyo. She could never repay him for his kindness, especially after the way she had treated him when he was only trying to help.

But, the man slightly terrified her. He was always serious, and it boggled her mind how her sister fell in love with such a strict man. Then again, maybe he wasn't always the way he is now.

As Rukia sat down on her bed, she pulled a notebook and pen from her bedside table and put it alongside her snacks.

"Okay, time to play cupid."

* * *

 **Then, thank you so much for the reviews! It really was a much needed positive boost, and it means so much. I think the most reviews I've gotten by the time I finished a story was 117, and I would really like to beat it :) and I can only achieve it with you guys. Sure, I could write reviews for myself, but that would just be sad. Don't make me sink to that level.**

 **So, please review, and if you have an idea or two for what you would like to see in the story, don't be shy to pop me an PM.**

 **xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys! I'm just going to stop apologizing for waiting to long to post, because I think it should be pretty clear by now that I always am :D. Still, please be patient with me, and I promise I'll try to make the story one worth wasting your late-night reading sessions on.**

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Chapter | 5

"Get in there," Rukia whispered furiously.

"I can't," Orihime replied, touching her forehead to her knees. It wasn't particularly hard considering they were squatting beneath the window of their classroom.

"I swear, I will push you in," Rukia threatened, reaching out to grab her friend's arm. Her plan wouldn't work if Orihime was going to be scared.

For some reason, Ichigo was the first person in the classroom that morning, and Rukia saw it as a golden opportunity to have them spend some alone time together. The only problem was that it required Orihime to actually go into the class without Rukia by her side.

"What if he thinks I'm weird?" Orihime was nervous, that much was clear, and Rukia had no idea how to calm her down.

"He won't," Rukia tried to persuade her, but it fell on deaf ears. So, instead Rukia did the only thing she could think off.

Lightning fast, Rukia threw her leg out and swiped Orihime's feet, sending the poor girl tumbling backwards. Perfectly into the open door, and Ichigo's line of sight.

Orihime barely had time to react before Rukia took off running in the opposite direction after she heard Ichigo mutter, "What the?"

There was at least twenty minutes left before the most of the students would start arriving, and Rukia had actually planned on using that time as a strategy meeting with Orihime. Her late night scheming session turned out not to be a complete waste of time.

But this was what the whole thing came down to, so Rukia was content wondering around until the bell rang. It was halfway around the school that she remembered Tatsuki was probably training in the hall.

Backtracking a bit, she changed route and made it to the hall in no time. Rukia found Tatsuki hard at work, beating the living daylights out of all her opponents.

"Rukia?" Tatsuki asked, seeming a bit confused by her sudden appearance.

"Morning, Tatsuki, I apologise for barging in like this," Rukia apologised, walking over to where Tatsuki was wiping off her face.

"No worries, but may I ask why?" Tatsuki put her towel down and turned to Rukia.

"Orihime and I had plans, but she's a bit preoccupied right now," Rukia admitted, turning her attention to the broken-looking newbies. "Who are they?"

"Oh, one of their friends like me, and they said that if even one of them could beat me, then I would agree to date their friend," Tatsuki said, sighing dramatically, "But, as you can see, no such luck."

"Poor guy, why won't you go out with him?" Rukia asked, spotting the one she was talking about. He was good looking, there was no doubt about that, and he definitely looked like he does some kind of sport.

"I just don't want one right now," Tatsuki admitted. "I don't like doing things half-assed, and with my schedule right now, I won't have time for a boyfriend."

"I guess that's a valid reason," Rukia agreed, but she still felt sorry for the poor guy.

"What about you, Rukia? You're small and cute, isn't there anyone after you?" Tatsuki's question surprised Rukia, because she immediately thought of Orihime's statement the previous day. Looks like her friends were thinking about things she hadn't even considered.

"No, not that I know of," Rukia laughed, but it came out a little awkward.

"I don't agree," Tatsuki said. "I can think of one person who seems more than a little intrigued by the new girl."

"If you're talking about Ichigo, then don't," Rukia stopped her, "I've already told Orihime that he doesn't feel that way, and I'm sticking by that."

"Whatever you say, but I promise that you're wrong," Tatsuki said. "And I can prove it."

This caught Rukia's attention. "And how exactly would you do that?"

"I'm guessing they've told you about the bonfire next week?" Tatsuki quickly realised Rukia didn't know about it. "Each year the school has a massive bonfire once classes start to settle in, and pretty much everyone comes. But, there's a tradition for the seniors.

"At exactly ten o'clock the seniors split into groups and make their way to an empty class room. In each room there's bottle and for an hour the group has to plan spin-the-bottle."

Rukia was intrigued, up until the end anyway.

"Seriously? Spin-the-bottle?"

"It comes from a more innocent time, okay?" Tatsuki said. "But don't be so quick to knock it, apparently the game changes a lot of the relationships between the people in the groups."

"And you want to use this to prove Ichigo is interested in me?" Rukia asked.

"Exactly, it's the perfect opportunity." Tatsuki seemed pretty smug with herself.

"What about Orihime, isn't she your best friend?"

"That's why I have to do it. Hime needs some motivation, and if this is the shove she needs, then that's how it'll be." Rukia couldn't figure out whether Tatsuki was being a good friend or not.

"Fine," Rukia said just as the bell for the beginning of school rang.

"You go on, I need to get dressed," Tatsuki said happily, as if their conversation hadn't just happened.

"Oh, and Rukia." Rukia turned back. "I'm doing this for him as well. I've known Ichigo longer than Hime, and he's been alone too long."

Rukia simply nodded before heading for her homeroom.

"Good morning class, please settle down," their homeroom teacher said just as Rukia slipped into class, her eyes immediately going to Orihime. Clearly her friend had been hoping for this, because she smiled brightly.

 _He doesn't like you, this just proves it_ , Rukia thought as she gave Orihime a thumbs up.

"Now, before we start, I would like to introduce another new student," the teacher said before turning to the door. "Please come in, Mr Abarai."

Rukia couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp, her eyes as round as apples. This was not how she expected her day to go.

"Rukia?" Orihime whispered, noticing her strange behaviour.

"Renji," Rukia breathed, but it was enough to catch the red-haired boy's attention. He turned to her, not at all shocked to see her gaping at him.

"Long time no see, Rukia," Renji said, and the entire class looked from him to where Rukia still sat speechless.

"Ah, do you know Miss Kuchiki?" the teacher asked and Renji nodded. "Yeah, we grew up in the same orphanage," he added.

If the gossip-mills weren't turning before, the newest storm of information definitely sent them on the go.

Rukia could hear the word 'orphanage' being thrown across the classroom. She could practically feel the stares from her classmates.

"Oh, that's nice," the teacher managed to say, clearly at a loss for words. "Well, then why don't you take an open seat at the back and we'll commence with homeroom."

Rukia kept her eyes pinned to her desk as Renji passed.

All the periods until lunch were a blur of voices and hallways, all Rukia's senses mushed into one background picture for what was actually going on inside her head.

As most of the kids sat down for lunch, Rukia stood up and walked over to Renji's desk. He was already waiting for her. She simply grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him out of the classroom.

Ichigo was standing by the doorway, but Rukia noticed that he wasn't even looking at her, his focus was solely on Renji. Rukia couldn't tell whether it was because he was intrigued by the new kid, or skeptical about the new kid.

Her hand was aching from how hard she had been gripping him, but Rukia didn't let go until they were somewhere secluded.

"What the hell, Renji!" Rukia exclaimed, letting out all the anger she was feeling since he had told everyone the one thing she was trying to hide.

"Hello, Rukia, it's nice to see you too. I've been great, just so by the way," Renji said, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall.

"Oh, no, you don't get to patronise me," Rukia said, a laugh escaping her lips.

"And you don't get to be mad at me."

"And why not? Things just started to go right for me, and then you just show up out of nowhere, telling people things they don't need to know." Rukia knew she was being a bit unreasonable, that she was the only one who something to be ashamed about. And it was not about being raised I an orphanage.

"You could at least have given me a heads-up," she muttered childishly.

"I'm sorry, would you have liked for me to give you a call before I showed up? It's not exactly easy to reach someone who left without a word," Renji said, shutting Rukia right up.

He was right, and it struck her to the bone.

Clenching and un-clenching her fists, Rukia let out a deep breath. "You're right, I have no right to act high and mighty," she whispered.

"I am happy to see you, I promise." Rukia took a step forward and allowed Renji to wrap his arms tightly around her. Looks like all was forgiven.

"How are you here, anyway?" Rukia asked, the question for the first time crossing her mind.

"You remember that rich aunt they realised was still alive two years ago?" Rukia nodded. "Well, seems they were able to track her down. She didn't want to take me in, so instead I could pick a school anywhere and she would pay for everything until I could support myself."

They reached the classroom by the time Renji had finished explaining everything about his trip. Apparently it took a lot of research to find out where Rukia was, but after a while he managed to track down Byakuya and from there on he found Rukia.

"So you're living here until we graduate?" Rukia asked as they stepped into the class, both enjoying each other's company too much to care about the gazes from their classmates.

"Yeah, that's the plan."

"Rukia! You're back, we were just wondering if you were going to join us?" Orihime exclaimed when they reached their usual cluster of seats. To her surprise the boys were also in their class instead of on the roof.

"Of course," Rukia smiled. "Let me introduce you guys to Renji Abarai, an old friend of mine from Tokyo."

She introduced each person in turn, starting with a very excited-looking Orihime and ending with a less than enthusiastic Ichigo.

"Nice to meet all of you," Renji said once she was done and then the two of them pulled chairs closer and sat down.

Rukia was a bit relieved to have the new-kid label taken away, and she actually laughed at the way Renji squirmed as everyone asked him questions. She was happy, and it looked like Renji would be too. The two of them sure as hell deserved it.

No one brought up the orphanage thing, something that didn't even surprise Rukia. None of her new friends were the type to pry where she didn't want them to.

Renji and Rukia walked home together after that, but mostly because Rukia wanted to see what his apartment was like. He had always spoken about some far-off rich aunt, but none of the orphans really believed him; they all wanted to believe in some kind of hope for their futures.

The apartment was in the opposite direction of Rukia's house, closer to where Rukia gathered Uryu and Orihime were.

It ended up being a pretty nice place. It was a rather small apartment building, Rukia didn't think that more than twenty people could rent a room. The walls were freshly painted and the garden tended to diligently.

"It's nice," Rukia said as they climbed the flight up the stairs to the second floor where Renji was lucky enough to get the very last available room. Renji unlocked the door.

"Probably not as nice as the Kuchiki mansion, that sure must be something," Renji whistled, flinging his bag down next to his shoes. Rukia picked it up and placed both their bags neatly in the corner.

"It is really amazing, but there's no point in comparing our living situations," Rukia said, rearranging things as she followed him to the living room. "All that matters is that we got out."

"Yeah, you're right," Renji said with a smile, motioning for her to join him on the floor. The moment she was next to him, Rukia felt herself slipping back into a bit of her old self, but not the part she was trying to change.

No, it was more along the lines of the person she used to be without feeling the need to run and hide whenever something good happened to her. A place where she didn't need to hide her old self, because Renji knew all there was to know about her.

"You seem happy, Rukia," Renji said out of the blue.

"Well, I guess it's because I am."

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 **READ BELOW, IT'LL BE GOOD.**

 **So, I have a bit of a proposition. If this chapter gets more than 5 reviews (of any kind), I promise that the next chapter will have some of the good stuff in. Obviously, the more reviews, the more good stuff.**

 **I put my faith in your reviews.**

 **xx**

 **Oh, and for you lemon-lovers, I found a nice little piece that I thought you might like:**

 **s/11663584/1/Her-prey-her-love**


	6. Chapter 6

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you guys have an amazing day, and that you're together with people you love. For those who aren't, I hope you at least bought cake to eat.**

 **I'm hoping this chapter will make your day even more special. So if you feel like repaying the gift in reviews, yeah, that would be great.**

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"Guys!" Rukia called as she rounded the bend to the school. Renji wasn't far behind her.

The rest of the gang was waiting patiently for them next to the school gate. They had all decided they would show up together for the bonfire.

"Rukia, you're late," Ichigo said as they joined everyone.

"Yeah, not my fault," Rukia defended herself, pointing at Renji. Somehow they were always late if they were together.

Renji just shrugged, leaving his excuse up to the imagination.

"Oh, come on, let's go," Tatsuki said, stepping through the gates first.

Campus was more than a little lively. All the years tended to group together, but here and there a senior would talk to a freshman, or even dance with them.

"What's the time?" Orihime asked as they each grabbed some punch from a table the teachers had set out. Rukia was pretty sure it was spiked.

"Half an hour before we should get going," Uryu declared, his eyes drifting to the school building.

The week to the bonfire passed much faster than Rukia had hoped. Her progress with Orihime and Ichigo wasn't nearly as far she wanted it to be, but she thought the foothold wasn't too loose. Even now, Orihime managed to go up to Ichigo and have a conversation with him. She might just be able to prove Tatsuki wrong.

That was the next problem.

Rukia couldn't even begin to imagine what Tatsuki had in plan for her. She was ruthless, that much Rukia knew, but to what extent?

Pushing those thoughts as far down as possible, Rukia enjoyed her time until Uryu rounded them all up and the made their way to the emptiest classroom. There were about six other people already in the room, and two more joined before they decided they were enough.

At their own pace, the group started to settled down.

It was Rukia's first time playing spin the bottle, and though she'd probably never admit it, it felt like the first day at school all over again.

Orihime didn't look much better, and Rukia could tell this with only a side-ways glance. She kept touching her hair, or tugging at her clothes, clear signs that she was nervous.

Rukia laid her hand softly on Orihime's, hoping the touch would sooth them both.

"Okay, so whose gonna start?" Renji asked, looking at everyone in the circle in turn. When no one answered, he sighed, picking up the bottle and placing it in the middle where everyone could see it clearly.

With a flick of his wrist, the bottle started spinning. The air thickened with anticipation as the bottle started to slow down, finally settling on its target.

Everyone except the girl relaxed, their anticipation replaced with curiosity at what Renji would ask the girl.

"Truth or dare?"

"T-truth," the girl stammered, and Rukia couldn't tell whether it was the idea of telling a bunch of strangers what would probably be something personal that made her nervous, or if she simply felt intimidated by Renji.

"Have you every punched someone?" The question wasn't exactly the type you could guess the answer to, but it was still an easy one.

"Actually, I have," the girl laughed, and some of the people joined in.

Rukia threw Renji an 'I know what you're doing look,' but Renji simply winked at her.

With everyone considerably more relaxed, the game properly start.

After half an hour, the easy questions and dares started to run out. Leaving only the ones that every wanted to ask, but was too afraid to.

"Rukia," Tatsuki said as the bottle finished spinning.

Rukia looked at her defiantly, ready to accept any challenge.

"Dare." She didn't need to be asked for her options, she always chose dare.

"I dare you to…" Tatsuki started, but stopped. "No, never mind, you wouldn't."

"Wouldn't do what?" Rukia asked, placing both her hands on the ground in front of her and leaning in.

"No, really, don't stress it." Tatsuki looked at Rukia, waiting for her to insist again.

She was being played, and Rukia knew it.

"Are you saying there's something I'd be too cowardly to do?" Rukia was determined to hear the dare.

"Fine, I dare you to kiss a guy wearing the same colour shirt as you," Tatsuki said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What? That's not so bad," Rukia said, glancing down at her grey shirt. It wasn't until her eyes roamed over all six guys that she realised there was only one other wearing the same shade as her.

"No way, I am not kissing that shrimp," Ichigo objected, but she didn't care too much about his opinion.

As subtly as she could, Rukia looked at Orihime, only to find that she was laughing. Maybe she really was okay with it? Or she was just good at pretending.

"Plus, if I'm going to kiss anyone, it should at least be someone with experience," Ichigo continued.

That got to Rukia.

"Oh yeah? Sounds to me like your scared," Rukia said, trying to leave her inexperience out of it.

Sure, she wasn't throwing herself at every guy, but she did have a few flings in Tokyo. None of the guys got very far with her, but they never complained about her kissing.

"As if," Ichigo muttered.

"Okay, then let's do it," Rukia said, shuffling to the middle of the circle.

"Fine," Ichigo said, a scowl plastered on his face as he moved out of his seat until he was facing her, or well, looking down at her.

"Cool, the kiss needs to be at least fifteen seconds, and you can't just press your lips together," Tatsuki suddenly interjected.

"Huh?!" Rukia and Ichigo exclaimed together, turning to look at a very pleased looking Tatsuki.

"Whatever," Ichigo said with a sigh.

Some of Rukia's bravado left her when she and Ichigo locked eyes. She gulped nervously.

Ichigo, on the other hand, didn't seem even a little phased by it.

Slowly Ichigo lowered his head, not closing his eyes until their lips were practically touching.

Rukia didn't expected to feel anything other than the warm press of Ichigo's lips on hers. But the moment they kissed, it was as if a current of raw power shot through them both.

What everyone expected to be a pretty mild kiss, turned out to be much more passionate than that.

Ichigo cupped Rukia's face, pulling her closer as his lips pressed into hers.

It took all of her willpower not to wrap her arms around his neck, and by the way Ichigo was almost desperately clinging to her face, it was clear he was also struggling to hold back.

Just as Tatsuki called out the fifteen second marker, Rukia felt the tip of Ichigo's tongue touch her lips, and she almost didn't allow him to pull away.

It scared her how much she wanted him to kiss her.

They were both breathing heavily as they pulled apart, their eyes once again not leaving each other as they sat back down in their seats.

Finally Rukia managed to look away and to her surprise everyone seemed a little flustered. Tatsuki, on the other hand, was more than a little happy that her experiment had worked.

Their little spectacle ended up being the climax of the game, and even though a few similar dares were made, they didn't seem to live up. Even when Uryu was dared to kiss Orihime on the cheek every time said the words 'yes' or 'no.'

The group dispersed after that, everyone returning to what they were doing before the game started. Everyone except Rukia that is.

Before she could even look at Ichigo, she was out the door and heading nowhere in particular.

The cool air hit her like a ton of bricks as she stepped through the door onto the roof. There was no one else.

Quickly she crossed to the fence that ran along the edges of the school building, snaking her fingers through the holes between the wires.

Taking a few deep breaths, Rukia calmed herself down.

It didn't take much to know that her moment with Ichigo wasn't normal. There was more emotion between them than Rukia had felt with all her old boyfriends combined. They barely kissed, but it didn't feel like their first. It felt as though she had kissed him hundreds of times before.

Trailing a finger lightly over her lips, Rukia found that she was smiling, but caught herself immediately as she heard the door open behind her.

"I've been looking for you," Ichigo announced as he stepped onto the roof. She could barely make him out in the light made by the moon overhead.

Rukia tried to act calm.

"Why? You finally realised your undying love for me?" Rukia asked, purposefully trying to pick a fight with him.

"Wouldn't you like that?" Ichigo sneered as he crossed the distance between them and stood next to her. He seemed to be looking at the town; the school had a pretty nice view.

"What was that?" Ichigo asked after a while, still not looking at her.

"I don't know, but it cannot happen again," Rukia said, not even bothering to deny the connection, or pretend it was only one-sided.

"I guess," Ichigo agreed, shoving his hands into his pocket.

"Good," Rukia said.

"Fine."

"Okay."

"Very well."

"Whatever."

But none of their banter meant anything.

The next moment Ichigo grabbed Rukia's wrist and yanked her closer to him.

His hands encircled her, picking her straight off the ground as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her back made contact with the fence and Ichigo's weight against her made the fence bulge outwards.

With no eyes on them, Ichigo kissed her hard, Rukia not resisting at all. She welcomed it, kissing him back as her fingers entangled themselves in his soft hair.

Ichigo inhaled deeply as Rukia suddenly sucked his bottom lip, loving the reaction he made. Ichigo quickly returned the favour, and Rukia couldn't help but shiver.

Finally she opened her mouth wider, an invitation for him to kiss her deeper. And he did, not wasting any time as his tongue found hers.

After a while they pulled apart, both breathing heavily.

"Guess staying away will be pretty hard," Ichigo whispered against Rukia's lips.

It was only a flash, but an image jumped into Rukia's mind. Her promise to Orihime.

With more force than necessary, Rukia shoved Ichigo away from her, almost causing her to fall butt first on the concrete below her. Luckily, even though her head was still woozy, Rukia managed to land on her feet.

"No, it won't be, because it will not happen again," Rukia said, the finality in her voice clear as day.

Ichigo looked at her like she forgot to take her crazy pills.

"Don't act like you didn't just feel the same way," Ichigo countered, taking another step towards Rukia.

"Don't." Rukia raised a finger, stopping Ichigo.

"You might not understand why I'm doing this, but we can't. It's not just going to hurt us, but other people too." Rukia was trying to spell it out as best she could without bring Orihime into it.

"What? Will it make your boyfriend jealous?" Ichigo snorted.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Rukia aksed.

"Renji, is he the reason?"

Rukia almost started laughing. "No, I thought I made it clear that he's only a friend.

"Does he know that?" Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes, of course he does." At least, Rukia hoped he did. Not that she would tell Ichigo that.

"Then who? Who can possible be affected by this?" Ichigo wasn't letting up.

"I can't tell you," Rukia muttered stubbornly.

"Seriously? You give me a lame excuse and then you can't even explain it." Ichigo was getting annoyed and Rukia didn't know what to do about it.

"Fine, be that way, but just know that I've never felt that before," Ichigo referred to their moments. "And I don't plan to stop until you acknowledge it too."

Rukia's breath caught in her throat, and she did the only thing she could possibly think of. She ran.

Ichigo called out her name, but she was already on her way down the stairs. She passed a few other students, but didn't pay attention to their stares either. All she knew was that she needed to get as far away from him as she possibly could.

But, deep down, Rukia knew that would never happen.

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 **Please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Well, it's already the second, but considering it's still the early hours, I'll still pretend it's the first.**

 **Anyway. Thank you guys so much for the amazing reviews! I clearly see what you guys like, and after this chapter, I promise to include (a lot) more. Even I get bored of having to push it on for the sake of a good story line. Believe me, if I could just write it whole thing as a smut, I would.**

 **Please review!**

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Chapter 7:

"So, how are things with Ichigo?"

Rukia and Orihime were sitting at their usual table for lunch. The boys were at a mandatory PE class, and Tatsuki seemed to be late.

"Better," Orihime practically beamed.

"Good, I still have a few more ideas, but we'll take it step by step."

Rukia went ahead and explained what she had in mind. Orihime tried to take it all in, but it became clear she was lost halfway in.

"So, the other night…" Orihime began, trailing off when she saw Rukia knew exactly what she was talking about.

A few days passed since the bonfire, and Rukia managed to whole heartedly avoid Ichigo for all of them. Sure, there was nothing she could do in class, but she never even gave him the time of day. Luckily they went back to eating on the roof, so she didn't have to worry about dealing with him.

"Yeah, I know," Rukia said. She had planned her apology ever since the night, but Orihime never brought it up.

"It meant nothing. You know how I am, and he just got me worked up," Rukia threw all of it out there, pretty much all the excuses she could think of.

"I'm not mad," Orihime laughed, almost choking on a mouth full of rice.

"You're not?" Rukia asked curiously.

"Why would I be? It's not like you did it on purpose," Orihime said.

Well sure, Rukia didn't do it on purpose the first time. But the second one was a completely different story. At least she was able to make herself feel better by reminding herself that she did push him away.

"Thanks, I was pretty nervous about all that," Rukia said shyly, scratching the back of her head. She was glad it was out of the way.

They enjoyed the rest of lunch without bringing the subject of Ichigo back. He seemed to be all they could talk about, and it started to bug Rukia deep down. She didn't want the idiot on her mind so much.

After school Rukia went home alone. Renji usually walked with her, but since joining the baseball club he was busy most afternoons.

"You still avoiding me?"

Rukia's blood ran cold.

Without turning to face him, Rukia picked up her pace. There was no way she would out walk him, not with his long legs, but at least she could try to get away.

"Come on, Rukia," Ichigo complained, catching up to her in no time.

Rukia didn't say anything. She simply kept her eyes in front of her and tried not to trip over her own feet.

"You know, you avoiding me just means you know you can't control yourself if you were to actually face me," Ichigo said.

Rukia stopped walking.

"No, me avoiding you is because I'm scared for my virtue around you," Rukia remarked, looking directly at him for the first time in days.

Big mistake.

Ichigo took a step towards her. Rukia backed up, but there was only so much she could do before her back made contact with the wall.

Ichigo planted his hand next to her head, leaning in until his face was only inches from hers.

"I would never force myself on you. The next time I kiss you is when you tell me to," Ichigo whispered, his eyes dead serious.

Rukia couldn't help but gulp, her legs starting to shake a little. All she could manage was a simple nod.

"But," Ichigo continued as his lips passed hers, skimming the skin on her cheek. "That doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy for you to stay away."

His words still fresh in her mind, Rukia hurried the last of the bit home.

"Idiot!" she exclaimed as she tossed her bag onto her bed and paced the room.

There she was, trying to be a good friend, and he was sure as hell not helping. And it wasn't just because he was making her plans for Orihime difficult. Just the fact that he was able to get to her so easily bugged her.

She needed to confront him.

So, pulling on some normal clothes, Rukia left her house again.

It was by a complete miracle that she was able to remember the twists and turns separating her house from Ichigo's. But she made it none the less.

It was as she passed the clinic that her bravado started to falter. Playing a situation out in your head was much different than actually being in it.

Her hands shook slightly as she raised one. She allowed it to hover in front of the door for a few seconds before knocking lightly. Maybe if no one heard her knock then she could go home with a clean conscious.

"Coming!" a girl called from inside.

Rukia swore under her breath.

When the door opened Rukia was left before a young girl slightly taller than she was. Her appearance was definitely more to Mr Kurosaki's, but other than her height, she looked nothing like Ichigo.

"Hi, can I help you?" the girl asked when Rukia simply stared at her.

"Um, yes please," Rukia started pathetically. "I'm looking for Ichigo, is he here?" At least the rest of her question was a bit more self-assured.

"Ichigo stepped out for a moment, but he should be back soon," the girl explained. Finally she added, "Wanna come in and wait?"

Rukia was about to decline, but she figured it might be a prime opportunity to get some dirt on Ichigo.

"If it's not a bother?" Rukia asked.

The girl smiled at her, opening the door wide enough for her to pass through.

"My name's Karin, I'm one of Ichigo's sisters," Karin introduced herself, extending her hand to Rukia once she closed the door.

"Rukia Kuchiki." Rukia shook her hand firmly.

"Well, do you want something to drink?" Karin offered as Rukia made herself comfortable on the couch.

"Some water would be nice," Rukia said.

"Sure thing." Karin disappeared into the kitchen and out of sight. Rukia heard the clatter of glasses and the fridge opening and closing, followed by Karin appearing again.

Rukia accepted the glass, taking a sip as Karin sat down on the couch next to her.

"How do you know my brother?" Karin asked after a while.

"We go to school together," Rukia explained, conveniently leaving out the word 'friend'.

"New girl?"

"Yeah, moved here recently from Tokyo," Rukia said.

"And Ichigo just accepted you into his friend circle?" Karin's question took Rukia a bit by surprise. In a way she had a feeling Karin was sneakier than she appeared.

"Well, we're not exactly friends," Rukia started.

"You're sitting in his house, aren't you? People don't normally just show up if they're not at least somewhat friends," Karin interjected.

"Why are you asking me this?" Rukia started to play the offensive, hitting questions with questions.

"I'm sorry if I come off mean," Karin quickly apologised. "Ichigo just isn't someone who opens up without a reason. All the others are part of his life, because something forced them into it."

"What do you mean?" Rukia's curiosity was taking over. She was there for dirty deeds, not something that would change her opinion of Ichigo.

"Well, take Chad for instance. They only became friends because Ichigo got into a lot fights when he was younger. Chad told me that Ichigo saved him once, and from there on they became friends."

Rukia placed her empty glass on the coffee table.

Ichigo always struck her as an easy going type of guy. But come to think of it, he never really socialised with anyone outside of their group.

"All the others are the same. So, I guess you understand where I'm coming from now," Karin said as Rukia thought.

"I understand," Rukia repeated. "I guess Ichigo tolerates me because, even though he doesn't know it, we're a lot alike."

"Oh, yeah, how are we alike?" Ichigo suddenly asked from behind her.

"I don't recall having a habit of showing up uninvited." Ichigo placed two bags on the ground next to where she was sitting.

"And I don't have the habit of listening in on private conversations," Rukia countered.

"Please, I'm sure you'd make it a hobby if you were sneaky enough," Ichigo said, plopping down on the couch between her and Karin.

"I'm plenty sneaky, thank you very much," Rukia admitted begrudgingly. She wasn't really sure if it was a good or a bad thing.

"Where's Yuzu?" Karin interrupted their pointless argument.

"She quickly went to check on dad," Ichigo said.

"You have two sisters?" Rukia asked once Karin left for the clinic.

"Twins," Ichgio pointed out, "But they look nothing like me. Karin took after my dad and Yuzu took after my mom."

"Where do you come from then?"

"Dunno, guess someone in my family passed the gene down," Ichigo sighed. He clearly wasn't a fan of the person who gave him his hair.

"I see," Rukia muttered just as Karin came back into the room.

Ichigo was right. Yuzu looked nothing like the two of them. Her hair was a few shades lighter and she definitely did not look like she could defend herself in any way. Their mother must also have been extremely beautiful.

"You must be Rukia," Yuzu said politely, giving a slight bow.

"My name is Yuzu, it's super nice to meet you."

"Rukia Kuchiki, it's nice to meet you too." Rukia stood up for a second a bowed back.

"Will you be joining us for dinner?" Yuzu asked, taking pretty much everyone in the room by surprise.

"Oh, thank you, but no. I just came to tell Ichigo something, but it can wait," Rukia babbled as she started to walk to the front door.

"I'll walk you out," Ichigo offered. Before Rukia could reject, he was at her side.

"It was nice to meet the both of you," Rukia called.

Ichigo showed her out and walked a bit down the street with her. Rukia knew he wasn't doing it to be a gentleman. He probably just wanted to hear what she wanted to tell him.

"So, you wanted to tell me something?" Ichigo asked barely one hundred meters away from his house.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," Rukia tried to brush it off. All her energy was gone, and she didn't feel like telling him off anymore.

"Okay." Ichigo didn't sound at all convinced, but he didn't push her for more.

"Is it true what your sister said about you not letting random people in?" Rukia asked when the silence became unbearable.

Ichigo faltered, but quickly regained his step.

"I guess it depends on whose point of view you see it from," Ichigo replied.

"Okay, then how do you see it?" Rukia knew she was technically shifted the focus from her, but she was genuinely curious about Ichigo now. It bothered her.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" Ichigo stopped walking.

"No real reason," Rukia muttered.

With a sigh, Ichigo caught up to her again.

"It's not that I don't want people near me," he started. "But I know what it feels like to lose someone important, and if I can limit the number of people around me, I know I'll be able to protect them all if it comes down to it."

"So you wouldn't help people who aren't close to you?"

"What? No, that's not it, I'm just saying…" Ichigo seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I'm not criticising you or anything," Rukia added when she saw he was done. "My reasoning is far more selfish than yours."

"Oh yeah? What's yours?"

Rukia shrugged. "The more people you let in, the more people can abandon you."

Rukia's outburst of honesty surprised her even more than it did Ichigo.

"Then why start letting people in now?"

Rukia already told him something extremely personal, so she didn't see the point in stopping. "I'm tired of living that way. Byakuya was the one who showed me that you're never truly alone. Sometimes there are people you don't even know about that cares."

Ichigo remained quiet after that. It was as they turned the corner to her street that he spoke up again.

"Maybe you're right," Ichigo admitted. "Living like this is pretty pathetic. But the past is always a brutal reminder that life isn't that simple."

"Saying that you won't try just because you don't know what life will do next is pointless. It's like deciding not to breathe, because you'll die eventually. We have to learn to appreciate what we have now, not think about we could possibly lose one day." Rukia even sounded like a grown-up to herself. But then again, most grown-ups never experienced what she did.

"Yeah, you're right."

Before Rukia knew what hit her, Ichigo grabbed her by the arm and tugged her into one of the alleys lining the street.

"You say appreciate what you have right now, and not to think about losing it. Do I count?" Ichigo watched her intently. Her chances of talking her way out of it dwindled by the second.

"This isn't what you should be taking from what I said," Rukia managed to get out. She actually hoped it would make it easier for him to acknowledge Orihime in the future.

"But I'm not wrong?" Ichigo probed, leaning in with every breath.

Rukia breathed in, trying to steady her nerves. His lips were only inches from hers, and she was doing all she could not to stare at them. Ichigo didn't miss her lingering gaze.

"Say it," he whispered slowly.

There were more than a few things Rukia could use to convince herself she was doing something beyond wrong. Any one of them would have brought her back to reality. But she didn't want to be brought back.

"Ichigo," she whispered, "Kiss me."

And he did.

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 **Please tell me your thoughts on the chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**By way of apology for the late upload, I made this chapter slightly longer than usual and also added a bit more fluff! I hope that makes up for the wait :)**

 **Please review!**

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Chapter | 8

"No, stop," Rukia muttered feebly.

Ichigo, not in the least convinced, tightened his grip on Rukia's waist. Now she couldn't squirm away.

His lips found the nape of her neck and he bit down lightly.

Rukia's entire body tensed, a shudder starting at the top of her spine and running all the way down. She cursed her body for showing what she was desperately trying to hide.

It was lunch time and Rukia had managed to get stuck inside the storage room with Ichigo. She suspected fowl play on Ichigo's side, but whether he persuaded the PE teacher to have them on clean-up duty or not wasn't something she could figure out. And it was getting harder for her to decide whether she wanted to know.

Ichigo's lips found her again, kissing her deeply. His one hand slipped up her side, trailing her shirt along with it. It then rounded her and settled between her shoulder blades. With one tug he pulled her even closer.

Even with Rukia sitting on one of the abandoned school desks, Ichigo still had to bend down to a certain extent to reach her. But he didn't seem to be complaining.

Rukia unclenched her hands from the front of Ichigo's shirt and stretched up to wrap them around his neck. He took this as a sign of defeat.

The hand that was still on her waist squeezed once before joining its partner on Rukia's back. But, to Rukia's surprise, it didn't stay there.

Rukia went rigid as Ichigo's hand suddenly followed the line of her bra and cupped one of her breasts. A yelp escaped her lips as she pushed away, her hand finding his and twisting it painfully to the side.

"The hell?!" Ichigo exclaimed as he rotated his body to accommodate his wrist joint.

"What was that?" Rukia asked angrily, still not letting go of his hand.

"What was what?" Ichigo squirmed when she tightened her grip.

Rukia's cheeks went crimson. "You know… _that_." She knew she was being vague, but the idea of saying it aloud made her nervous.

"Come on, Rukia, we've been doing this for a week and I'm not allowed to touch you?" Ichigo asked incredulously. He made it sound like she was crazy.

"You can touch me," Rukia stated. Ichigo perked up. "If you're willing to lose the hand." As to emphasise her point, Rukia gave one last painful tug before letting go of Ichigo's hand.

With a 'humph' she pushed herself off of the desk and straightened her uniform.

"You know, I'm a guy, I can't be patient forever," Ichigo grumbled as he closed the door to the storage room.

"Then find someone else to play with," Rukia said angrily. Of course, she didn't mean it. The idea of Ichigo being with anyone else bothered her.

Shaking her head, Rukia reminded herself that her attraction to Ichigo was purely physical. The moment she got him and Orihime together it would end.

"Oh please, you and I both know I wouldn't do that," Ichigo said, rubbing the back of his head. He seemed to mean it.

Rukia smiled softly after making sure he wasn't looking.

"Rukia! Ichigo!" Their names bounced off the walls, loud enough to catch everyone's attention.

"Why are you being so loud?" Rukia asked as Renji weaved his way through the other students towards them. He seemed panicked.

"It's Orihime, she fainted." Renji took a few deep breaths.

"She what?" Rukia's gut twisted, guilt consuming her. "Where is she?"

"Nurse's office," Renji barely said before Rukia took off. Ichigo was close at her heels.

They reached the nurse's office in record time, both out of breath from running.

After announcing themselves they stepped into the brightly lit room. For some reason the nurse's office always seemed cheery and full of hope.

"Ah, Rukia," Orihime said as she spotted her friend. The she started to blush furiously when she saw who stood behind her. "Ichigo, you came too."

"What happened?" Rukia asked as she approached the bed.

"Nothing serious, I think I just didn't eat enough the last couple of days," Orihime explained, smiling soothingly at the two of them.

"I should be up and going in an hour," Orihime added to calm them down.

"I'm glad," Rukia breathed.

When Ichigo didn't add anything, Rukia nudged him lightly, but definitely, in the ribs.

"Yeah, me too, you should take better care of yourself," Ichigo said, rubbing his side in a way that wasn't too obvious.

"Thank you, really. I promise I will," Orihime agreed.

She seemed to be doing fine, but Rukia was a bit concerned about why she wasn't eating enough. Orihime loved cooking way too much for her to simply forget about eating. And her dishes contained pretty much every food group, so Rukia doubted that it was because of a lack of nutrition.

She decided not to press Orihime about it. If she wanted to tell her, then Rukia would be there to listen.

"I know what you're thinking," Ichigo pointed out once they were back in the hallway.

"And what might that be?" Rukia asked, no doubt in her mind that Ichigo couldn't possibly know what she was thinking. It's not like he knew about Orihime's feelings. So he couldn't know how guilty she was feeling, or that she was thinking about what a bad friends she was being.

"That you're a bad friend." Ichigo's words took her completely by surprise.

Rukia's head shot up to look at him, her feet faltering a step.

"You knew?" Rukia tried not to stutter, but she was completely taken aback.

"Of course," Ichigo stated. "You were getting hot and heavy while your friend was in trouble. It doesn't take a genius to figure out your unbelievable sense of loyalty would take over."

Relief flooded Rukia's veins and she almost sighed very loudly.

"Yeah, that's it," Rukia laughed.

Even if he wasn't exactly on the dot, it made Rukia a little happy that Ichigo was able to make that kind of assumption about her. How closely was he paying attention to her?

 _It's just physical_ , Rukia once again berated herself.

So, why was her heart beating so fast?

"How's she doing?" Renji asked on their way back from school.

"She seemed fine," Rukia answered, "But I'm worried there's a reason she's not eating well."

"Has she said anything to you during the week?" Renji also seemed very concerned.

"Nothing, no," Rukia said.

"Maybe she's just stressed about school or something," Renji ventured.

"Maybe…" was all Rukia said. She couldn't think of any other reason.

"Why don't you go visit her then?" Renji's idea actually sounded pretty good.

"I think I might just do that. Do you know where she lives?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah," Renji said, taking Rukia by surprise. She hadn't actually expected him to know.

Rukia raised an eyebrow at him.

"Calm down, I promised to help her move a few things this weekend," Renji defended himself, but Rukia would always find a loophole.

"Oh? You two are that close now?" Rukia nudged him lightly in the ribs.

"Stop reading into things," Renji said while glaring at her.

Rukia took the piece of paper from him. She kept it in her hand until she said goodbye to Renji in front of his apartment.

Luckily Rukia recognised the street name and set off. It wasn't very far, but she was anxious to find out that was wrong with Orihime. Even if there wasn't actually anything the matter, it would still put her a bit more at ease about everything- especially Ichigo.

Orihime's apartment appeared to be a bit smaller than the one Renji was staying in, but it looked equally well run. Rukia didn't know what she had been expecting, but she was happy.

Orihime's room was on the second floor.

Rukia knocked three times before taking a step back. She was pretty sure Orihime would be at home, but whether she wanted to see people was an entirely different case.

"Coming!" Orihime called from inside. She sounded much better.

"Take your time, it's only me, Rukia!" Rukia called back.

"Oh, Rukia, what a surprise," Orihime said once she had the door open. She still looked a little pale.

"Yes, I'm sorry for barging in so unexpectedly," Rukia apologised. She followed Orhime inside and took of her shoes and placed her school bag next to them.

"Would you like something to drink?" Orihime asked.

"Water would be great right now," Rukia laughed. A thin line of sweat had formed on her brow from walking outside.

Once they were both done, Rukia and Orihime sat down at the kitchen table.

"So, is there something you need?" Orihime smiled politely, her fingers intertwined on the table in front of her.

"No, I just wanted to come see how you were doing. You gave us a pretty big fright today." Rukia wasn't sure how to say what she wanted to say without sounding nosy.

"I'm sorry. I was careless." Orihime seemed to have more to say, so Rukia didn't interrupt.

"It's not that I wasn't eating on purpose, but the whole Ichigo thing has got me down the last while. Sure, I think we've become better friends, but he still isn't looking at me as anything more than the girl who lost her brother.

"You see, I lost my brother when I was very young. He was all I had, and Ichigo helped me through things after that."

Rukia thought back to what Karin said about Ichigo's friends being there through a series of events. Looks like she really was right.

"And now I'm starting to feel he never will. It really hurts knowing the person you love doesn't love you back." Orhime hung her head, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Rukia reached out and placed one hand on Orihime's.

"Back when I was still in Tokyo, I was always between the orphanage and some host family. I think the longest anyone ever wanted to look after me was two weeks, and then they'd get sick of me.

The only friend I had was Renji, and sometimes I took that fact for granted. You see, sometimes we lose sight of what is actually important when we're feeling alone and unwanted. I'm not saying that you can't feel that way, but keep in mind that, even then, you still have people who care about you."

Orihime looked up, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

"We, all of us, care about you. If you go passing out on us, we worry. I know you're feeling sad, but doing something that's bad for your health makes us feel bad too. Ichigo as well."

Rukia's little speech seemed to be getting through to Orihime, who was wiping furiously at her eyes to stop herself from crying. Rukia really felt like a mother scolding her child.

"You're right. I was being a little selfish," Orihime admitted.

"Come on, let's bake something fun or something," Rukia suggested.

Orihime instantly perked up.

"There's this new cake recipe that I've been wanting to try, and I was finally able to…" Orihime started to ramble off a list of odd ingredients.

"Or, how about we just make cookies?" Rukia interjected after a while.

"Oooo, those would be nice too." Orihime sprang to life and started pulling the ingredients they needed from cupboards.

Two hours later, Rukia left Orihime's apartment feeling much better about everything. She seemed to have gotten through to Orihime, but now she would have to see if it would be a long term thing.

They ended up making more cookies than either of them could eat. In the end they divided them into five, one for each of them and the three boys. Orihime said she would deliver to Uryu and Chad, and since Rukia lived close to Ichigo, she was left with that task.

So, with a box full of cookies under each arm, Rukia made her way home. She was a bit nervous about seeing Ichigo, but underneath that she was happier than she should have been about seeing his ginger mug.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked as he opened the door.

"Hi, may I come in?" Rukia asked, eyeing him nervously.

Ichigo stepped to the side, making space for her. Rukia couldn't help but inhale as she passed him. He smelled really good, probably fresh out the shower.

"Orihime and I baked too many cookies," Rukia said as she handed Ichigo one of the boxes once they were in the living room. Ichigo took it from her.

"Thanks, these look great," Ichigo said with a tight voice.

"Don't worry, I checked the ingredients," Rukia added. Ichigo calmed visibly knowing it was an Orihime Special.

Reaching into the box, Ichigo picked one out and popped it into his mouth. "Wow, these _are_ great," he said once he finished swallowing.

"How's Orhime?" Ichigo asked as he started scarfing down cookies.

"We had a little chat and I think she's fine now," Rukia explained.

"What was bothering her?"

"Just some boy problems, you wouldn't understand." Rukia tried to play it off, and it seemed the idea of girl-talk was all it took.

"And you?" Ichigo asked.

"Me?" Rukia wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"Yeah, you seemed upset after we went to see Orihime. Are you feeling better now?" Ichigo put the box down and leaned against the kitchen table, his arms crossing over his chest.

"Better," Rukia admitted. "But don't worry, I'll get over it by tonight."

"I do worry."

Rukia met Ichigo's eyes, her heart practically beating out of her chest. How did he have this effect on her from just three words?

"I'm glad. I'll be going then." Rukia turned on her heel and started for the door, but she didn't get very far.

One moment she was up on her feet, and the next she was on her back. Her body sank into the plush pillows of the couch.

"Did really come to just deliver cookies?" Ichigo asked. He was sitting next to her, his upper body angled over her with his hands at the sides of her head.

"You said so yourself, they're good cookies," Rukia mumbled.

Ichigo moved his head closer before saying, "I can think of something better." Then his lips were on her own.

He tastes of chocolate chips, and the smell of his body wash invaded all her senses. She couldn't even think straight.

Her hands grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him onto her. Ichigo quickly positioned himself so that his weight wasn't on her, even though there was no space between them.

His lips left hers, kissing a trail from her jaw to her collarbone. Rukia couldn't help but shudder at his touch, her whole body lighting up.

Before she could even think about it, her hands found the hem of his shirt and pulled it up. Ichigo helped her take it off.

Even though Ichigo was skinny, he was extremely well built. She made a mental note to ask what exercise he was doing.

Her hands wove around his neck and Ichigo took the opportunity to pull them both up, Rukia now straddling him.

Things were getting heated, but Rukia couldn't bring herself to care. She was too busy trailing the fingers of her one hand over Ichigo's chest.

It wasn't long before Rukia realised that she was the only one doing any touching. Ichigo's hands were always either in her hair or on her hips. Wow, he had actually taken her threat to heart.

With one hand Rukia tugged her shirt out of her skirt, letting it hand over. Nervously she took both of Ichigo's hands and led them under her shirt, back to her hips.

Ichigo broke their kiss, searching her face for any clue as to what she was thinking.

"Nothing too far." Rukia couldn't help but blush. She wasn't very good at anything intimate further than kissing.

Ichigo nodded before kissing her again. His hands didn't exactly stay on her hips, but they kept to the general area. Rukia was happy with that.

Then again, Ichigo almost tore her shirt when the front door opened. They had barely managed to pull themselves together as Karin and Yuzu turned into the living room.

"Well, goodbye Ichigo," Rukia said as she hurried passed the twins. "Hi, and bye, I'm late!"

The twins said something to Ichigo, but Rukia was too far away to hear them. It wasn't until she was halfway home that she realised she forgot her box of cookies.

With a sigh she decided to forget about them, _Ichigo could do with some fat anyway_. And then of course his chest popped back into her head, her face heating up light a firework.

* * *

 **Please review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey Guys :) Just something short and sweet this time around, but I really hope you'll like it.**

 **There's just something I want to point out concerning my spelling. Since I live in South Africa, I was taught using the UK spelling (like 's' instead of 'z' for most words, and 'ou' instead of 'o' in words.) Just in case anyone might have thought I was making spelling errors (which I do, often, but not all of them are.)**

 **Cool, cool cool cool.**

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Chapter | 9

With a heavy head, Rukia pulled herself out of bed a week later.

A glass of water was next to her bed and she drank it down without a breath. Her throat felt like someone had put sanding paper in it, and the water wasn't really helping.

Her legs shook as she got out of bed, grabbing onto anything in reach to keep herself upright to her bedroom door. She didn't move away from the hallway walls once as she made her way to her brother's office.

"Brother?" Rukia asked feebly. Her voice was still a little gone, and speaking her much more than it should have.

"Come in," Byakuya said and Rukia opened the door.

"Rukia?" Byakyuya was next to her in a flash, ready to catch her if she fell.

"I'm fine," Rukia said, "But I think I might have a cold."

"I'll call the school, but you should get back in bed." Without any effort he pulled her into his arms.

Rukia tried to stop him ("I'll get you sick), but Byakuya didn't relent until she was back in bed. He then told her to call if she needed anything.

One of the maids knocked an hour later, carrying a tray with food on it.

"Lord Byakuya told me to make you something," she said with a smile. "Do you feel like you can eat, Miss Rukia?"

"Thank you," Rukia croaked as a steaming bowl of chicken soup was placed in front of her. Not wanting to get the maid sick, she said she would be fine.

Rukia spent a few more hours drifting between asleep and awake, but she didn't feel any less tired. Then there was the fact that she was coughing almost non-stop. And her throat just wouldn't stop hurting; even swallowing was painful.

She was just about to call for something to drink when she heard someone coming up the stairs. No, two people. She recognised her brother's footsteps, but she couldn't pinpoint the other.

"Rukia, the doctor's here," Byakuya said as he opened her door.

Rukia sat upright, ready to greet the doctor, but she never got the chance. The moment she made eye-contact, her eyes went wide.

"Ichigo's lady friend!" Mr Kurosaki exclaimed as he recognised her.

"Ichigo's lady friend?" Byakuya repeated. He seemed to be having some trouble recalling who Ichigo was.

"Yes, of course, your son is Ichigo Kurosaki. I met him a while back." Byakuya didn't sound too mad.

"I hope he was at his best behaviour. Who would have guessed they would be friends? It's almost like Romeo and Juliet." Mr Kurosaki's words made Rukia blush, but she was glad her face was red from the fever.

"Now, let's see what's wrong." Mr Kurosaki pulled chair up next to her bed and sat down.

On command, Rukia opened her mouth and tilted her head back. Mr Kurosaki clicked his little flashlight on and had a look down her throat.

"Oh, that's not good," he muttered, using his index finger to move her chin a bit to the right.

"I have good news and bad news, which first?"

Rukia raised her hand and pointed two fingers.

"What you have won't go away quickly, and it'll probably hurt a lot before it's healed." Rukia didn't like the sound of that.

"But the good news is that Ichigo _happens_ to have it as well, so I've got the medication right here with me," Mr Kurosaki said, and Rukia didn't miss the insinuation. Her brother, luckily, didn't seem to catch on.

"It's called Pharyngitis." Mr Kurosaki turned back to Byakuya, "Just make sure she takes these twice a day, and only feed her soft foods- water, yogurt, soup."

"Thank you very much, I'll be sure to inform the kitchen staff," Byakuya said, taking the box of pills from Mr Kurosaki.

"Now, Rukia, try not to talk. The virus spreads through bodily fluids, so no kissing either." Mr Kurosaki laughed as he left the room, followed by a very concerned looking Byakuya.

Raising her hand to her mouth, Rukia touched her lips. _No way…_ she thought as it started to make sense. Rukia slammed her fists into the bed, cursing Ichigo for getting her sick.

But if Ichigo was also sick, then he was probably in bed. Meaning neither of them were at school. At the same time.

Rukia turned around and buried her head in her pillow.

In the end Rukia had to bury her frustrations for eight days of eating/drinking liquids and pills that burned her throat. She was more than ecstatic when she was finally allowed to go back to school. She needed to assess the damage done by rumours.

"Rukia, remember that you are still not allowed to speak if not necessary. And I know your throat still hurts, even if you pretend it doesn't." Byakuya made this very clear before Rukia left for school.

But talking wasn't very easy when all your friends ask: "Where have you been?", "How are you doing?", and Rukia's favourite: "Does your throat hurt?"

So when the first bell of the day finally announced the beginning of class, Rukia couldn't be happier. Until she saw Ichigo in his usual seat, staring out the window.

He looked fine, nothing to show he was ill. And no one was asking him any questions. He must have been released from bed before her.

Rukia didn't say anything as she sat down; if his throat hurt half as much as hers did, then he would understand.

"Rukia!" Orihime exclaimed as she bounded towards Rukia. Her arms wrapped around Rukia's head, something that every guy in the class would count as a blessing.

"I'm so glad to see you're fine, Ichigo told us about your little throat sore. Luckily he was only out for a day with the cold," Orihime yammered on as she took her seat.

Rukia threw a look over her shoulder at Ichigo. A cold? The only reason he would do that was to keep their secret safe… Did he talk to everyone as if it wasn't painful at all for an entire week?

"Teacher?" Rukia croaked during third period, raising her hand.

"Yes, Miss Kuchiki?" the teacher asked.

Rukia pointed to her throat. "It hurts, may I go to the nurse?"

"Of course-" the teacher started, but Rukia was already up.

"Help me," Rukia commanded as loud as she could, looking at Ichigo.

"What?" Ichigo asked, but Rukia already had him by the wrist and was pulling him out. She ignored the teacher's objections.

Rukia knew the nurse was on her daily lunch break, but that she always left the infirmary unlocked. Yanking the door open, she stepped in, closed the door and pushed Ichigo into a seat.

After rummaging around for a bit, Rukia managed to find something similar to the flashlight Mr Kurosaki had used on her.

"Open." Rukia pointed at his mouth.

Ichigo was reluctant, but opened his mouth nonetheless. Rukia leaned in and pointed the beam down his throat.

Her stomach almost churned when she was how red and swollen his throat was. Was that what hers had looked like? He hadn't given his throat any chance to heal by speaking all the time.

"Stupid," Rukia muttered as she put the flashlight away.

Taking a piece of paper and a pen from the nurse's desk, Rukia set it down in front Ichigo. Once her chair was flush against his, she started to write.

 **On a scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt?**

Ichigo gave her the 'are we seriously doing this?' look, but Rukia forced the pen into his hand.

 **Not enough to be a problem.**

 **But it still hurts?**

Ichigo hesitated for a second.

 **Yes.**

 **THEN GO HOME!**

 **No.**

 **Yes.**

 **No.**

 **Yes.**

 **No.**

 **Yes.**

They were barely looking at the paper as they wrote the same two words.

Finally Rukia threw the pen down on the desk. She shot up from her seat and stormed over to the window.

Ichigo's chest pressed against her back a few seconds later. Something white appeared in front of her eyes before the surgical mask was secured over her nose and mouth. She turned to see Ichigo put his own on.

"I'm fine," he whispered.

"But," Rukia swallowed, the pain subsiding quickly, "You're hurting because of me."

"If it's you, I don't mind." Ichigo closed the distance and pressed his surgical mask against hers. She couldn't feel the softness of his lips, but their form was still clear.

They didn't kiss any more than a simple peck, but they didn't leave the nurse's office for another while either. Ichigo simply pulled them down, Rukia between his legs, and held her close to him.

Rukia knew that they were crossing a line. If they were together and not doing anything, even though they were touching, it was more than just physical.

But she wanted it. She wanted it so bad, and it scared her. Almost enough that she didn't care whether Orihime liked him. She could just explain the situation and apologise for basically stealing Ichigo away.

And the worst part is that Orihime would probably forgive her. That would break Rukia, knowing that she did something so terrible to someone with such a sweet heart.

Then again, there was no certainty that Ichigo even felt anything for her. But with his arms around her, Rukia couldn't imagine that he felt nothing.

Add all three parts of the problem together and the answer was even more confusing than all of them.

Instead of searching for an answer, Rukia left it all up to fate. She would just enjoy her time spent with Ichgio, and not think about what it could lead to in the future.

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 **Just to be clear, I am not making up Pharyngitis. This thing is legit, and extremely painful. So don't make out with Canadians (no offense). Moral of the story.**

 **Anyway, please review**

 **xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Once again, thank you all so much for all the support! I'm really having fun writing this fanfic and your reviews are just making it so much more worthwhile. Please continue to do so!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

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Chapter | 10

In the end Ichigo had agreed to stay home for a few days. He definitely wasn't being easy about it, but Rukia wasn't exactly giving him a choice.

She let her friends decide what was wrong with him, because she knew they'd just settle for a general cold. At least their little secret was safe this way. Or so Rukia thought.

"So, you and Ichigo were out at the same time?" Tatsuki asked as she caught up to Rukia after school.

Rukia inhaled sharply, but managed to cover it up quickly.

"Yeah, lucky that he only had a cold. My throat still hurts a bit." Rukia tried to play it off, but she knew Tatsuki would be harder to fool than the rest. Probably because Tatsuki was the one person who actually wanted them together. Rukia still didn't understand it.

"You know, Karin and I often play soccer together. Last week she told me Ichigo was being a moron by going to school when he had some nasty throat virus." Tatsuki crossed her hands behind her back and leaned in to Rukia.

Rukia narrowed her eyes.

"What's your point?"

"You and Ichigo are secretly dating, aren't you?" Tatsuki asked, coming to a standstill.

Rukia sighed, stopping herself. "No, not really," she admitted, and technically it was the truth.

"Not really?" Tatsuki probed.

"It's more along the lines of friends with benefits," Rukia said, continuing to walk.

Tatsuki fell in step.

"When did this happen?"

"The night of the school bonfire." Rukia could feel a slight blush coming on, but managed to supress it.

"Wow, it's been going on that long?" Tatsuki seemed genuinely surprised by this. "And how far have you gone?"

Now this made Rukia blush.

She turned her head to the side, "Not far."

"But not nothing?"

"No, a bit further than kissing."

Tatsuki cheered.

"You're a horrible friend, you know that right?" Rukia scoffed.

"Might seem that way, but like I said, I really am doing this for Hime," Tatsuki said, the sincerity in her voice evident.

Rukia didn't say anything about that, but Tatsuki still followed her.

"Anything else you need?" Rukia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing, I guess, just thought we could walk together since I'm on my way to visit Ichigo. And now the two of us will have so much to talk about," Tatsuki explained.

"No, please, you can't." The words slipped out of Rukia's mouth before she could stop them.

Tatsuki waited for her to continue.

"Ichigo pretended to be okay for my sake. And then I'm the one who goes and tells someone. I don't want him thinking I don't appreciate what he's doing for me." Rukia explained so quickly that she was practically out of breath.

"Fine, I won't say a word, but only if you come with me now," Tatsuki bargained.

Damn. Rukia knew she was digging her grave when she told Tatsuki, but she at least thought she'd have some time before she was knee deep in the hole.

"Very well," Rukia sighed.

The whole way to Ichigo's house, Rukia pretended to hate going. But, just below her scowl, was smile so big it would probably tear her face if it was showing. It's been four days since she's seen him, and she really missed him.

She had also used the four days to decide that she would let herself feel something for him, but that she wouldn't act on it. Sure, they could continue the way they were, but that's the way it would stay until she figured the rest out.

"Mr Kurosaki!" Tatsuki suddenly called out next to her. Rukia almost jumped.

"Ah, Tatsuki!" Mr Kurosaki waved at her and then noticed Rukia.

"Oh, come to nurse my son back to health?" he asked as they neared.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh. She knew Mr Kurosaki wasn't as dumb as he often pretended to be. Hell, he noticed things that Byakuya couldn't even see.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone's given him a good kick in a while. He'll start going soft," Tatsuki said.

"Yes, my boy won't even let me wake him up anymore." Mr Kurosaki pouted, lowering his hose back to the bushes in front of the house. None of the water actually hit the plants.

"Well, we'll go in then," Tatsuki announced as she grabbed Rukia by the wrist and pulled her to the front door. Rukia could feel Mr Kurosaki's eyes on her back.

Once inside, they took a flight stairs and came to a stop in front of the first door on the left-hand side. _This must be Ichigo's room,_ Rukia thought. She didn't want to think about how Tatsuki had known that.

Tatsuki knocked and went in, but Rukia stayed behind. Even though she wanted to let Tatsuki and Ichigo have some time together, her real reason was that it would be the best way for them to have some alone time. That is, _if_ Tatsuki caught on.

With the door open, Rukia could hear exactly what they were talking about. School was the main topic, and their little secret never came up.

"Well then, I'm going to say hello to your sisters. There's someone else who also came to see you," Tatsuki said as she walked to the door. She waved once over her shoulder before coming into the hallway with Rukia.

"Thank you," Rukia mouthed and Tatsuki winked.

Slowly Rukia gave two steps into the room before closing the door behind them. Just didn't want anyone to hear them talking.

"Hi," Rukia said awkwardly.

"Tatsuki dragged you along?" Ichigo asked. The questions actually hurt her a bit… Even though it was true.

"How are you feeling?" Rukia countered, changing the subject.

"Fine, this is actually the last day of staying home." Ichigo sat upright in his bed, making place for Rukia to sit at the end.

Leaving her bag by the door, she crossed the room and sat down.

"I'm guessing you're pretty much filled in about school?" Rukia asked. She was hoping Tatsuki had left a few things out, because then Rukia at least had something to talk about.

"Tatsuki can be pretty thorough." Ichigo laughed and Rukia smiled with him.

Neither one said anything after that and the silence started to weigh down. Not wanting things to get awkward, Rukia spit the first thing that came to mind.

"I think your dad knows about…" Rukia said, but she couldn't think of what to call their little secret.

"Us?" Ichigo finished.

"Our secret, there is no us," Rukia corrected him.

Ichigo's jaw clenched and unclenched. Clearly he wanted to say something, but decided not to.

"Oh, how?" The question sounded forced, as if he didn't really care.

"My brother called him to come do the check-up at our house," Rukia explained. "He made it pretty clear he knew the two of us weren't sick at the same time by pure coincidence."

"Didn't bet on that happening," Ichigo sighed. "I kind of had to tell him about us- I mean our situation, because he insisted I stay in bed. I never mentioned your name, but there's no way my dad didn't figure it out."

"Guess it couldn't be helped," Rukia said. At least she wasn't the only one who let it slip.

"You know, according to my dad, I'm actually healthy. The virus is gone," Ichigo said out of the blue.

Rukia was about to ask him what his point was, but it quickly became clear. Ichigo leaned forward and yanked her onto him so that her chin was planted into his chest.

With big, unblinking eyes, Rukia looked up at him. To her surprise, his expression was dead serious. It was as if he was trying to tell her something, but to say it aloud wasn't possible.

Slowly, she pushed herself up and pulled her legs in closer until she was upright on Ichigo's lap. One of her hands reached up and she let her finger trail down his jaw. She could feel him clench his teeth again.

"What's wrong?" Rukia asked.

Instead of answering, Ichigo brought his own hand up and touched her cheek, their arms crossing at the wrists. Ever so lightly he trailed his thumb over her lower lip, taking with it any words that still lingered.

He never got the chance to kiss her, because Tatsuki decided to make it very loudly known that she was going to get Rukia as she was leaving one of the twins' rooms.

Just as Rukia started to manoeuvre herself off of Ichigo, his hand slipped from her cheek and pulled at the fabric of her shirt until her collarbone was exposed. His mouth found the soft skin above the bone in a second, followed by a burning sensation that was over almost before it began.

"There, just so that you won't forget." Ichigo lifted his head again.

Not having enough time to ask him what he meant, Rukia reluctantly pushed herself off Ichigo and sat down on the edge of the bed. She tugged her shirt back just in time.

"Rukia, time to go!" Tatsuki called as she threw the door open. Rukia couldn't tell whether she had hoped to catch them in the act, or was really okay with pretending she didn't know.

"Well, goodbye, I hope you'll come back to school tomorrow," Rukia said as she stood up, grabbed her bag and left without a final glance.

"Bye, Mr Kurosaki!" Rukia and Tatsuki called at the same time. Mr Kurosaki stuck his head out from between the bushes he was trimming.

"Come again soon!" he called after them.

"So, you and lover-boy have a nice conversation?" Tatsuki asked once they were in the clear.

Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, this is my turn-off." Tatsuki pointed to the bend ahead of them. "Just one more thing. How exactly is the virus spread?"

"Bodily fluids," Rukia explained.

"So, like kissing and stuff?" Tatsuki clarified.

Rukia nodded her head.

"And you haven't been kissing or getting bodily fluids from another guy?" Tatsuki seemed to be leading up to something.

"If you have something to say, then get on with it," Rukia said impatiently.

"No, nothing really. It's just, if you didn't give it to him, he must have given it to you… How did he get it?" With that said, Tatsuki left before Rukia could clearly comprehend what she was insinuating.

There was someone else in the picture.

A heavy feeling settled in Rukia's chest, almost suffocating her. What if it was true? What if Ichigo did get it from some other girl? Rukia wasn't exactly keeping tabs on him twenty-four-seven. She didn't even know how he spent his afternoons and weekends.

 _No, he wouldn't_ , Rukia thought. Then again, Rukia wasn't being the most cooperative make-out buddy. There was always the possibility that another girl was giving Ichigo what she wouldn't. She couldn't blame him for that; she had made it clear that there was no 'them,' only 'their situation.'

She was so caught up in her morbid thoughts that she didn't even see the red-haired visitor waiting at her front gate. She practically stormed into Renji as he stepped into her path.

"Oi, where have you been? I've been waiting for half an hour," Renji inquired as Rukia looked up.

"Oh, shoot, sorry. I completely forgot about training," Rukia apologised.

Renji muttered something under his breath, but followed her into the mansion nonetheless. At least he wasn't making things harder for her.

Rukia quickly ran up to her room and put on exercise clothes. This was usually anything she didn't mind sweating in and that could stretch.

Byakuya had built a dojo into the mansion since he would sometimes take on students in his private time. Rukia was even allowed to join in, but she rarely practice on her own. But with Renji, it felt just like old times.

After a few basic warm-ups, they took their positions in the middle of the room.

"We haven't done this in a while," Renji mentioned as his rolled his shoulders.

Rukia bounced on her heels for a few seconds. "You're right. I hope you haven't gotten weak."

"Yeah right," Renji scoffed.

"Guess we'll have to find out." And without warning she pounced, but Renji was ready.

Unlike Ichigo, Renji well aware of Rukia's fighting style. After all, they had practiced together almost every day in the orphanage. Her best chance against him was her size since Renji was just about as fast as her.

For the first few minutes they threw half-hearted punches, and kicks that weren't really aimed at anything. But when Rukia managed to sink her fist into Renji's gut, the game was on.

Rukia wiped the sweat out of her eyes, but it was useless. She was out of practice, and was barely managing to keep up with Renji. He, on the other hand, was very much in shape.

"What's that about getting weak?" Renji mocked her.

"So I might not be in tip-top shape, but that doesn't mean I can't beat your ass," Rukia bluffed. She knew it was completely convincing, but she sure as hell wasn't going to admit that her side stung and her legs were getting wobbly.

But, as she found out a mere five seconds later, her bluff was called. Rukia found herself staring at the ceiling, Renji on top of her, pinning her down.

"This was too easy," Renji started, but stopped for some reason.

Looking up, Rukia realised that Renji's eyes were trained on her chest. She was about to berate him, but then she felt the cool air glide across her collarbone.

With the last of her strength, Rukia pushed him away and pulled her shirt up. The kiss-mark once again covered, but the damaged had been done.

"Do I want to know?" Renji asked, leaning back onto his arms.

"Probably not," Rukia muttered.

"Then I won't ask." Renji pushed himself up. "If you're ready to talk, I'll be waiting, but until then," Renji extended a hand to her, "You should seriously practice more."

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 **Please review x**


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy Valentine's Day to all of you reading my story. I hope you have a super romantic day with your significant other. Or, if you're like me, grab some wine (chocolate if you're under-aged) an sing soppy Adele songs to your cat. Or go watch Deadpool.**

 **This is just something I wrote for the occasion and has nothing to do with _Who Needs Enemies._ Rukia and Ichigo fluff of course. I hope you all enjoy!**

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Chapter | 10.5: Valentine's Day Special

Rukia groaned as she threw yet another dress back into her closet. At this point, she really didn't care whether it wasn't neat or that the material would crumble. She'd been trying on clothes for the last half an hour and nothing seemed to be good enough.

Facing defeat, Rukia threw herself onto her bed in only her underwear.

 _I'm sure he wouldn't complain if I showed up like this_ , Rukia thought as she looked down at her plain cotton bra. Even it didn't satisfy her.

Maybe she should just cancel the date. It's not like she knew the guy all that well, he was just someone she met one night at a bar. Though attractive, Rukia didn't feel that spark with him. But still, he called her a few days later and asked whether she was free on Valentine's Day. She didn't know what bruised her ego more- that she had to admit she was single on that day, like all the other twenty she had had in her life, or that she was willing to go out with some random guy just so that it wouldn't become twenty-one.

At least the guy promised it would be a double date. He probably didn't want to make her think he was trying too hard, even if it was only to get in her pants. Men were so predictable.

She wondered if it was the friend that was with him that night. She didn't say much to him, but he was always there, catching her eye at the most inopportune moments. Without knowing why, she felt her heart squeeze. What was it about the friend that drew her to him?

She pushed the thoughts from her head. She would never sink as low as to go on a date just so she could see the friend again. Instead she focused all her energy back at her clothes. She only had an hour left and she still needed to do pretty much everything else.

When she finally managed to deduce her pile of clothing to two outfits, she simply closed her eyes and eeney-meeney-miney-moed for the one. Her hand hovered over a red dress she had bought a while back. It was very plain, with a think material. It clung to her curves, covering her entire chest up to her collar bones, but the plunging back revealed the toned muscles she spent five times a week in the gym for.

Since she really wasn't any good at make-up, Rukia only applied the basics. And somehow she managed to pulled her short hair into something resembling a style she had seen in a magazine. All in all, she was pretty pleased as she slipped into her black heels, fastening the band that ran around her ankles.

Grabbing her clutch, Rukia rummaged around until she found her favourite nude lipstick. It really seemed to pull everything together.

A knock on the door made her jump.

"Coming!" Rukia called as she shoved the last of her things into her clutch and gave herself a once-over in the mirror.

Rukia unlocked the door and stepped out, the brisk air automatically causing her to reach for the jacket draped over her arm.

"You looking stunning," Ran Moriyama said, his eyes roaming her from head to toe.

"You clean up pretty good yourself," I countered. His suit was neat and fitted, and with his hair brushed out of his face, Rukia could definitely remember why she had given him her number.

"Shall we get going?" he suggested, extending and arm for her.

The restaurant was ten minutes by car. The moment she set eyes on the place, she was very happy that she had put on something nice. It really was a fancy restaurant.

"Are your friends meeting us here?" Rukia asked as they climbed the steps to the entrance.

"Ichigo and Tatsuki should be inside by now," Ran said, checking his watch for the time.

As they entered the restaurant, Rukia couldn't help but search the room for Ran's friend. He wasn't that hard to spot considering the mess of orange hair on his head. And spot him she did, only to find his eyes were already on her.

She swallowed as she followed Ran to their table across the room. Ichigo's eyes remained on her, despite the beautiful girl sitting next to him.

Ran pulled her seat out for her and she gladly took it. Ichigo's steady gaze was making her a little unsteady on her heels.

"Rukia, meet Tatsuki and Ichigo," Ran introduced them as he sat down. Tatsuki smiled pleasantly at Rukia. Something just told her that she would like her.

"Nice to meet you," Ichigo said and she was forced to meet his eyes. Something about the way they were alight made Rukia squirm.

A waiter arrived with their menus and a comfortable, yet tense, silence settled as everyone mulled over the food choices. Rukia instantly knew what she wanted, but the others did seem so sure.

"So, how do all of you know each other?" Rukia asked once everyone had decided.

"Ichigo and I study together at Tokyo University," Ran pointed out. "We met in our first year and after he kicked my ass for reasons that won't be mentioned, we became friends."

Rukia smiled, her mind conjuring up too many scenarios.

"And the two of us have been friends since I kicked his ass when we were still small.' Tatsuki punched Ichigo playfully on the arm.

Ichigo grumbled something about her having an unfair advantage.

"And you, Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

"What about me?" Rukia tried to keep her voice normal.

"Tell us something about yourself." He was playing with her, and Rukia knew that.

"Well, I moved here from the country side to study illustration at the Tokyo School of Design. I have a brother who runs a dojo-" Rukia was interrupted.

"Which dojo?" Tatsuki asked.

"You know the Gotei 13 School of Martial Arts? My brother is one of the leaders." Rukia took a sip from the glass of wine Ran had ordered earlier.

"No way!" Tatsuki and Ichigo exclaimed at the same time.

" _The_ Gotei 13? It's like the most famous martial arts school in Japan," Tatsuki continued.

"What's your last name?" Ichigo asked.

"Kuchiki," Rukia said.

"Byakuya Kuchiki is your brother?" A flash of nervousness passed over Ichigo's features.

"You know my brother?" Rukia asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well," Ichigo scratched awkwardly at his chin, "We might have met once."

"And by met, Ichigo means he pissed Byakuya Kuchiki off," Tatsuki pointed out.

"When was this?" Rukia laughed. Ran also seemed to be enjoying the conversation.

"I think it was about a year ago at one of the national championships. One of his underlings picked a fight with Ichigo before the tournament. Things go heavy and when the infamous Byakuya Kuchiki warned them to break it up, Ichigo accidentally took a swing at him." Tatsuki finished explaining what happened.

Rukia couldn't believe Ichigo was the guy from that time. Renji had been even more upset than Byakuya about some random guy who he started a fight with at the tournament.

"I can't believe you're that guy." Rukia tried to keep her laughter in, but it wasn't working. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her. "Renji was going on about it for almost two weeks. Damn, I wish I had seen it, but I was busy with my match at that time."

"You also participated?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah, I won my division." Rukia wasn't boasting, she was just telling it as it was.

"What a small world," Tatsuki said and Rukia agreed. It truly was. Once again she found her eyes drifting towards Ichigo.

The rest of their meal was filled with idle chitchat, but this time they spoke about thigs that Ran could join in on.

"So, what's next?" Tatsuki asked as Ran and Ichigo sorted out the bill. She and Rukia had both insisted to pay their parts, but the two men were stubborn about it.

"How about we go watch the fireworks?" Ran proposed. "They're only a few blocks down and start in about an hour."

"Sounds good to me," Rukia said.

She was a bit worried about walking around in her heels all night- she preferred sneakers- but the fireworks sounded like a lot of fun. Plus, Tatsuki seemed just as excited about it.

The cold hit them like an iceberg as they stepped out of the restaurant. They restaurant's heating system must have been set to hell, because none of them had noticed the drop in temperature.

"It's freezing out here," Ichigo said as he rubbed his hands up and down is arms.

"You know; they usually have a stall that has winter kimonos up for hire. They should be much warmer." Ran didn't even need to explain any further. Anything warmer would be perfect.

Walking as close together as possible, they managed to locate the kimono stand among all the others. The festival truly looked great; lanterns that lit up the entire street, families and couples having a blast.

"Thank you very much, you can go through here to get change," the owner of the stall said as she handed each of them a kimono in their size. Rukia took one in purple, while Tatsuki took hers in a baby blue. The boys came out wearing ones that were almost identical. Ichigo's was black, but Ran's was such a dark blue that the difference couldn't be seen if they weren't standing under direct light.

"Well, don't you look dashing," Rukia mocked a clearly uncomfortable Ichigo.

"Oi, at least I don't have to roll up my sleeves." Ichigo pointed to Rukia's hands. It's true, she was too short for her kimono.

"You can be glad they had something as plain as black, or else it might have clashed with your hair," Rukia retorted.

"Midget."

"Moron."

"Shrimp."

"Carrot-top."

They bickered like this until Tatsuki and Ran re-joined them.

"Hey, masks!" Tatsuki exclaimed, hoping to draw their attention away from each other.

Everyone except Tatsuki pulled a face. None of them were really happy about wearing masks.

"It'll keep your face warm," Tatsuki added.

Five minutes later they were all sporting new masks. Rukia, of course, bought a bunny mask. Ran had a No-Face mask with a black netting that covered his head. Tatsuki grabbed the nearest fox mask and Ichigo managed to get a scary-looking white mask with red marks on it.

As they joined the crowd of people waiting for the fireworks near the water's edge, Ran grasped Rukia's hand and pulled her away from Tatsuki and Ichigo.

"What's wrong?" Rukia asked, slipping her mask onto the side of her head.

The first of the fireworks started to go off, drawing Rukia's attention away for a second. Ran put his hand under her chin, directing her eyes back at his.

"Rukia, I really had a great time tonight," he said, taking a step closer.

"Me too," Rukia agreed. But she didn't mean it the way he did.

Ran slipped his own mask off his head, tucking it into the folds of his kimono. "I hope I can see you again soon." And with that he started to lean in.

Rukia's heart leaped in her chest, but not for the right reason. Ichigo's face popped into her head. She slipped her mask over her face again, putting both hands on Ran's chest to keep him at bay.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. Turning her back on him, Rukia disappeared into the crowd. She knew it was cowardly, but she couldn't think of any words that could make her decision clearer.

Leaving the crowd behind, Rukia managed to find a secluded spot. The fireworks still illuminated everything around her, lighting it in an array of colours.

She felt stupid. Here was a super nice guy, definitely not hard to look at, and not just interest in her body. But he wasn't the guy she wanted. No, she wanted to short-tempered, bad-mouthed, mocking, fierce friend. The one she knew would treat her as if she were his world.

Lost in thought, Rukia didn't hear the sound of approaching footprints. It wasn't until she looked up to see Ran's No-Face masked above her.

"Ran…" Rukia started. Standing up, she decided to make her intentions clear.

"I apologise that I ran away from you. It's not that I don't like your feelings towards me, but I can't return them. You see, there's someone else who seems to be… Well, it's probably just me feeling this way, but for that reason alone I can't agree to be more than friends." Rukia knew she was babbling, but she didn't exactly have experience in telling nice guys off.

Ran took a step forward.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Rukia tried again.

Another step.

"But, please understand."

One more step and they were flush together.

"I can't get him out of my head."

Ran lowered his head. "Good," he whispered, but the voice didn't belong to him.

Lifting his hand, the mask uncovered his head and dropped to the ground. Orange hair seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"I-Ichigo?" Rukia stuttered, the realisation that Ichigo knew exactly how she felt slamming into her.

She tried to turn away, but Ichigo grabbed her wrist and spun her forward again. Using the other hand to grip her waist, Ichigo pulled her in even closer, lowering his head until it dangled inches away from her own. Even if she wanted to look away, there was no way she could.

Ichigo didn't ask for her approval before he kissed her. Then again, there was no doubt that she would have given it.

His lips moved playfully over hers; nipping at her lower lip and pressing his tongue softly against her lips.

Rukia's head spun with ecstasy. For the first time, she wanted someone to never stop kissing her. It was like she had read in her books, and not like the one or two make-out sessions she had had with random guys. There she just hoped they would get tired and leave.

But with Ichigo, a simple kiss was amazing.

Her hands wove into his hair, their softness taking her by surprised. She expected it to be a bit spikier. Then again, his hair was nothing compared to his lips.

All too soon, Ichigo pulled away. Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered, "I can't get you out of my head either. Luckily you're so small that it shouldn't be a problem if you stay there."

Rukia dug her knuckle into his ribs.

"Sorry, sorry," Ichigo muttered as he stepped away.

Rukia already missed his warmth.

"So, how about we watch the fireworks for a bit?" Ichigo asked as the second bout of fireworks filled the night sky.

"Yeah, sounds perfect," Rukia agreed.

Grabbing hold over her hand, Ichigo led them to railing next to the river. Once there, he let go, but only so that he could reach down and lift her up.

Folding her kimono beneath her, Ichigo placed her onto the railing before moving to stand behind her. His hands snaked underneath her arms and pulled her into his chest.

"There, now I don't have to bend down." Ichigo chuckled.

Rukia let the comment slide, but only because of how happy she was.

She couldn't help but admit that it was her best Valentine's Day ever. Hopefully she would spend many more with Ichigo by her side.

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 **Thank you for all the AMAZING review on the previous chapter. It made me super happy to read all of them... like a thousand times.**

 **Please review**

 **xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**I hope you guys enjoy the newest chapter! Please let me know what you think :). Thank you again for all the great reviews on my Valentine's Day filler!**

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Chapter | 11

"Hey! Over here!" the boy called. Seconds later his teammate passed him the soccer ball. With little effort he managed to cross the field, deftly avoiding his opponents. Until he reached the goal of course.

Letting out what sounded like a wat cry, the boy sent to ball flying at the goal, but to no avail. Ichigo managed to catch the ball as if he was able to anticipate in which direction it would go.

"Damn it, Kurosaki, are you sure we can't get you to join permanently?" the boy asked as he caught the ball from Ichigo.

"We've been over this. I'm not joining any team. I'll help you out in practice, but that's it." Ichigo took of his handguards off and waved goodbye.

His last afterschool activity was finally done, and Rukia couldn't be more glad. She had been tailing him ever since class ended and it wasn't nearly as exciting as she thought it would be. All he did was help out at sport practices, and they all ended in someone in the team asking him to join permanently.

Rukia sighed. Other than Ichigo's clear commitment issues, he wasn't doing anything suspicious. And definitely not making out with other girls.

 _This is pathetic_ , Rukia thought as she left the practice field and went to get her bag.

"So, you seen enough?" a voice asked from behind her.

Out of habit, Rukia threw her elbow back and felt it sink into someone's stomach. Then she spun around to face the person.

Ichigo sunk to the ground, one arm wrapped around his waist. Rukia felt no sympathy.

"That's what you get for sneaking up on me," Rukia said. She wasn't going to apologise.

"So I can't sneak up on you, but you can follow me around the whole day?" Ichigo huffed. She had gotten him pretty good.

"Don't be ridiculous, I wasn't following you around," Rukia denied.

"Seriously?" Ichigo stood up. "You're not that short, I can still see you."

Ichigo managed to dodge the next blow.

Rukia knew at some point he would ask her why, if not for stalking him, was she still on campus. Since she didn't have an answer for that, she quickly turned on her heel and started to walk away.

"Oi! Wait up!" Ichigo called. He seemed to have his wind back.

"Is there something you need?" Rukia asked, but instead of answering, Ichigo pulled her into the gymnasium. There were some students left inside, but Ichigo ignored them as he pulled her into the storage area.

As Ichigo closed the door behind them, Rukia took a few steps away. This, of course, didn't discourage him at all.

Slowly he took a few steps toward her. Rukia matched his steps with her own until her back hit a shelf of sport equipment.

"I've been back for three days and we haven't seen each other like this even once. Is something wrong?" Ichigo's eyes held hers. Rukia couldn't help but squirm.

"You're overthinking it." Rukia tried to brush it off.

"Oh, yeah?" Ichigo said and closed the distance between them.

But the moment his lips met her, Rukia's stomach knotted. All she could think of was some other girl standing in her place. But Ichigo didn't seem to noticed her resistance and deepened their kiss.

"Ichigo-" Rukia tried to get out between breaths, but he wasn't listening. "Don't-" she tried again.

Instead she bit down, her teeth grabbing his lower lip. A salty taste played on her tongue. Ichigo cried out, pulling his head back.

Rukia shoved him away.

Wide-eyed, they stared at each other. Ichigo's mouth was slightly open, not able to believe that she had just bitten him.

For the first time since coming to Karakura Town, Rukia fought back tears. She couldn't tell whether it was because she was upset with him, or ashamed of the way she acted.

Without a word she pushed past him and left the storage room. She could practically feel Ichigo's confusion.

Running a shaky hand through her hair as she walked, Rukia grabbed her bag and headed straight home. All she wanted to do was distract herself, and she couldn't think of another place to do it.

And a distraction she just so happened to find.

Cars lined the road in front of her house, and Rukia had to squeeze between them to reach the front gate.

"What's going on?" she asked the guard on duty.

"Welcome back, Miss Rukia," he said with a smile. "The master is having a meeting of sorts. All the dojo heads are here."

She thanked the man and continued into the mansion.

Byakuya often spoke about some of the other dojo heads, and Rukia enjoyed the stories he told very much. But she had never met them. Now, craving a distraction, she couldn't think of a better one.

She was wondering how she would get herself close enough, but it seems she didn't have to.

"Rukia," her brother said as she passed the meeting room.

Placing her school bag on the ground, Rukia approached the open door.

"Yes, brother?" Rukia asked.

"There are a few people I would like you to meet." Byakuya motioned for her to come stand next to him.

"Is this the little sister of Hisana that we've been hearing so much about?" a man wearing a Sugegasa straw hat asked.

"Yes, everyone, I would like to introduced you to Rukia," her brother said before naming each of the men in turn.

Rukia focused on remembering all the names, but she would have to ask Byakuya for a list with pictures later that night.

After this, Rukia was allowed to sit the meeting in, something she was grateful for. It kept her mind busy for most of the evening.

She was about to turn in for the night when the guard on duty told her she had a visitor. Fearing that it might be Ichigo, she asked the guard if it was a girl or a boy. Luckily, it seemed to be a younger girl.

"Let her in," Rukia said, wondering who it could be.

Rukia had expected it to be Orihime or Tatsuki, but when Karin stepped through the door, she was a little surprised.

"Karin?" Rukia asked.

"Hi, sorry for bothering this late at night," Karin said.

"No problem." Rukia smiled as she led them into the living room. "What can I do for you?"

"Did you and Ichigo have a fight." Karin certainly cut to the chase.

"I wouldn't call it a fight, but why do you ask?" Rukia thought back to how she had bitten him and a new wave of guilt washed over her.

"He's been even more grumpy than usual since he came home, but won't tell us why." Karin leaned forward. "If you know, please."

Rukia was about to answer, but a commotion from the meeting room interrupted her.

"Meeting's done," Rukia said as the door opened and the party walked into the living room.

The man with the hat, Shunsui Kyōraku, was the first to appear. "Well, dear Rukia, it was a pleasure meeting you," he said as he walked pass.

Rukia said goodbye to each of the dojo heads in turn, but the last one seemed to have his attention elsewhere.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya was the youngest of all the dojo heads, probably around Rukia's age. As he stepped into the living room, Rukia noticed his eyes spotting Karin.

He managed to muttered a half-hearted goodbye to Rukia, but his attention remained on Karin until he left the room.

Karin stared after him until she noticed Rukia cocking an eyebrow at her.

"W-what?" she stammered.

"Oh, nothing. Tōshirō seems to be very interested in you," Rukia pointed out. She knew she was just pressing Karin's buttons, but it was better than talking about her and Ichigo.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Karin seemed to be going for the denial approach.

"Whatever you say." Rukia shrugged, a glint in her eyes.

"You're trying to change the subject," Karin countered. "So tell me, did something happen between you and Ichigo?"

Rukia sighed heavily. She might as well talk to someone about it, and the last of her pride wouldn't let Tatsuki be the one. After making Karin swear she wouldn't tell a soul, she explained what had happened between her and Ichigo. She also admitted her fear that Ichigo might have someone on the side, which was why they were 'fighting."

"You and my brother always have to do things they hard way? Why not instead of hitting him," Rukia turned her bite into a punch, "Don't you just try and talk to him."

"It's not that simple," Rukia muttered.

"Yes, it is," Karin asserted. "And I know Ichigo, he might be hard-headed, but he's as loyal as they come."

"So, you don't think there's someone else?" Rukia asked.

"I can almost promise you that there's not another girl," Karin said.

Relief seemed to was over her. The intensity of it caught her off guard. Was she this worried that Ichigo was with someone else?

"Thanks, Karin, I'll set things straight with Ichigo tomorrow," Rukia promised.

"Perfect, or else you'll cause another family feud." Karin didn't seem to like the idea.

"Another?" Rukia's curiosity spiked.

"Yeah, it was after our mother died. Ichigo barely spoke to anyone, or even left his room." Karin seemed pained by the memory. "Even after the rest of us started to move on, Ichigo simply wouldn't let go."

"Why?" Rukia asked. She knew it was hard to let go, but eventually everyone did.

"At first we couldn't figure it out, but one night he had a breakdown and everything just came flooding out." Karin hesitated.

"You see, Ichigo believes that he killed our mother."

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 **Please review x**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the wait! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and thank you for all the great reviews last time!**

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Chapter | 12

Morning dawned and Rukia couldn't be less enthusiastic about it. A feeling of guilt had settled in her stomach the night before and hadn't left since. She knew she had to talk to Ichigo, she promised Karin, but she had no idea where she would even start.

Groaning, Rukia pulled herself out of bed and put her uniform on. She would just have to get it over and done with.

Breakfast tasted bland and her walk to school was over faster than she had hoped it would be. She wanted to plan out their entire conversation, but didn't get past how she would greet him.

Instead of heading to her classroom, Rukia wondered around school for a bit. She joined the rest of her classmates with a few seconds to spare. Ichigo was in his usual seat, but his head was turned towards the windows.

"Good morning, class," their homeroom teacher said. The rest of class continued per usual, but the lump in Rukia's chest wouldn't go away.

And then lunch time arrived.

Rukia swallowed as she packed the last of her books away. Usually Ichigo would have left for lunch by the time she was done, but he was still sitting behind her, not even pretending to be busy.

"Ichigo…" Rukia started, but was interrupted by one of their classmates, Keigo's, loud conversation.

"Yeah! I totally saw it on the news, they actually found the victim downtown." Keigo swept his arms out. "They think it might be the same guy from a few years back."

Rukia stopped listening and turned to Ichigo, but this time it was him who was focused on the conversation. It took Rukia all of three seconds to notice something was wrong- his jaw was set, eyes narrowed and his brows creased.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked, but she wasn't getting through.

"Hopefully they catch the guy this time," Keigo continued. "I mean; he's already killed four people. Wasn't one of them Ichigo's mom?"

Rukia's eyes shot back to Ichigo.

"Keigo!" his friend shot, his eyes also settling on Ichigo.

"Oh, shoot, sorry man, I didn't mean…" Keigo started to apologise to Ichigo, but even he couldn't say something that would fix the silence that had settled over the room.

Ichigo didn't say anything. Instead he just stood up and stalked out the room. Rukia threw a glare in Keigo's direction before running after him. She managed to catch up to him as he started ascending the stairs to the roof.

He ignored her when she called out his name. She followed him up and as they finished the last set, Rukia reached out and grabbed him by the crook of his arm.

"You can talk to me," was all she said.

"There's nothing to talk about." Ichigo started to turn.

"Yeah right, but we can talk about what happened yesterday later. Just tell me how your feeling right now." Rukia knew she was sticking her nose where it didn't belong, but unfortunately she was very good at that for a reason.

"Do you want to know how I'm feeling, Rukia?" Ichigo asked. His tone insinuated that she might not like the answer.

Rukia didn't hesitate. "Yes."

"I'm fine." And with that Ichigo opened the door and shut it before Rukia could follow him.

She stood staring it, her feet rooted to the spot. This was new, she wasn't used to Ichigo being the one to run away from a fight. Usually it was her who avoided the confrontation.

Hearing Uryu and Chad greet Ichigo, she knew her chance was over, so instead she returned to class. Orihime and Tatsuki were already waiting for her, Renji was probably still on his way.

"You okay, Rukia?" Tatsuki asked as she sat down.

"Yeah, it's Ichigo I'm worried about," Rukia admitted.

"Did something happen to him?" Orihime asked. Her face instantly dropped.

"Not exactly, but apparently there was a murder last night that could be connected to his mother." Rukia took a bite of her sandwich.

Tatsuki dropped her chopsticks.

"Are you sure?" Tatsuki demanded, turning to face Rukia head on.

Rukia nodded. "Is it true?"

"Yeah, it is. And it happened in front of Ichigo." Tatsuki's voice was sad, but there was a definite hate in her eyes. "No child deserves that."

Orihime nodded in agreement, her also appetite also appearing to be lost.

Rukia, now very well aware of Ichigo's afternoon schedule made a bee-line straight for his house after classes ended. She needed to see Karin.

"Oh, Karin's at the soccer field," Yuzu explained after she was confronted by an anxious Rukia. After a detailed explanation, Rukia set off.

When Rukia reached the field, Karin appeared to be in the middle of a match. By the look on her face, it seemed that her team was winning. Rukia scanned the rest of the field and was surprised to find a white-haired boy darting between the players.

As the whistle signalling the end of the match reached everyone's ears, Rukia bounded down the steps and waited near the edge of the field. Karin, saying goodbye to her teammates, spotted her and waved. Rukia waved back, but before she could approach, Toshiro was at Karin's side.

Rukia waited patiently as they finished their conversation, where after Karin pointed at Rukia. Rukia gave him a knowing smirk. Even from where she was standing, she could see the tips of Toshiro's ears go red. Clearly he didn't want anyone knowing that he was going out of his way to see Karin.

"Have fun?" Rukia asked as Karin finally joined her on the side-lines. Another team's game had started.

"Well, we won," was all Karin said. Rukia smiled.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Let's have a seat." Rukia beckoned to a bench closer to the grassy slope.

"Why does Ichigo blame himself for your mother's death?" Rukia asked.

"Lean back, this is going to be a while," Karin said and shifted until she was comfortable.

"It happened we were all pretty small, but out of the three of us, Ichigo worshipped mom. He and mom were out one day when it started raining pretty bad. On their way home, Ichigo said he saw something by the river. Before mom could stop him, Ichigo took off and mom went after him.

"Since Ichigo can't remember what happened that day, we put it together as best as we could. The person Ichigo saw was the murder, but he was getting rid of his weapon from a murder just a few hours before hand. He must have panicked and attacked Ichigo. You know, the whole no witness thing? He landed a heavy blow on Ichigo, but it only knocked him out. Mom must have protected him after that and she lost."

Karin looked at her hands in her lap. Clearly, even after all the years that had passed, their mother's murder was still a raw spot. Rukia completely understood, she still missed Hisana from time to time.

"I see, and of course Ichigo still blames himself," Rukia muttered.

"We tried convincing him that it wasn't his fault, but nothing worked." Karin looked back at the field. "Therapy, friends, family, nothing helped. And just as he was getting better, the bastard shows up again."

"You know?" Rukia was a little surprised.

"Of course, dad's been cleaning and fixing things all week. He's trying to hide how anxious he is." A small laugh escaped Karin's lips.

"And you?" Rukia asked.

"No point in all of us getting worked up. Don't get me wrong, I won't to see him locked away, but it won't bring mom back." Karin shrugged, standing up.

"I have to get going, but I'm hoping you'll do something about Ichigo. If he knows, then there's no way he won't be doing something stupid."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Rukia promised. _I'll have to, it's not like he'll talk to me._

Karin waved goodbye as she set off.

Rukia waited until she was gone before sitting down again; she didn't want to go home yet, but couldn't think of anywhere else to go. She was just getting lost in thought when a voice pulled her out.

"Rukia?" Orihime asked from on top of the slope. "It is you!" she exclaimed when Rukia looked up.

Rukia pulled her bag closer and walked up to Orihime.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Rukia eyed Orihime's shopping bags.

"There was a sale at a grocery store near here. I told Tatsuki I'd swing by her place with the ingredients," Orihime said brightly.

"You guys making something?" Rukia asked.

"Oh, we just thought we'd make something for Ichigo," Orihime blushed, "To cheer him up, you know?"

"I think it's a great idea, I hope you guys have fun." Rukia smiled as the two of them waved goodbye at each other. She barely took ten steps before she spun on her heel and called out to Orihime.

Orihime stopped and turned.

"Do you maybe think I could help?" Rukia asked sheepishly.

Orihime's face lit up like crazy and next thing Rukia was practically being pulled down the street to Tatsuki's house.

"Are you sure this is right?" Rukia asked as she examined the batter in front of her.

"Well, this is what the recipe said." Tatsuki peered over her shoulder, just as little trust in their creation in her eyes.

"It looks perfect," Orihime said, clearly not having heard Rukia and Tatsuki's uncertainty.

Reluctantly they poured the batter into a pan and shoved it into the oven. The only thing left to do was have faith that they hadn't created something unspeakable.

When the oven's timer went of twenty minutes later, Rukia and Tatsuki let Orihime take out the pan. They didn't want to see it until it was done.

"It's done!" Orihime called for them. She had put herself on decoration duty.

"Wow, that actually looks really good," Tatsuki said as Orihime brought the brownies out. What used to be a lumpy mess was now transformed into a very good looking batch of brownies. As Orihime cut them each a slime, Rukia saw that the marshmallows and biscuits inside actually stayed recognisable.

Each biting down on a slice, all three of the girls couldn't help but let out a sigh of delight. It really tasted amazing.

Orihime started packing the rest into a box and stored it into the refrigerator. "I'll bring it along tomorrow."

Rukia and Tatsuki went home just as the sun was setting.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! I apologize for the long wait- university has been hectic. Luckily I was able to write a chapter that is my usual word count (I think something like 2100 words) and some smut. Please enjoy and let me know what you think xx**

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Chapter | 13

Ichigo still wasn't speaking to her. Three days passed since they showed up at school with the brownies, and all he did was throw a measly, "thanks," in Rukia's direction.

"That jackass," Rukia muttered furiously as she walked down the hallway during lunch. She wasn't going to take this anymore; if he was going to avoid her, then she was going to make it very hard for him.

She wasn't sure how she was going to get him alone, but today was the day that Ichigo was going to stop his shit. She was getting tired of it, and feeling guilty for feeling that way, because technically she started their little feud.

Orihime and Tatsuki were waiting for her near the staircase, "Come on, we'll be late for gym."

"What crawled into your cereal this morning?" Tatsuki asked as they caught up to Rukia.

Rukia gave Orihime a quick glace to see whether she was looking- she wasn't- and shook her head at Tatsuki. Tatsuki understood immediately.

"Anyone know what we're doing in class today?" Rukia asked as they neared the gym.

"Coach said something about dodgeball," Orihime answered, her voice a little nervous.

"Don't worry, Hime, the boys won't throw balls at a pretty girl and I'll make sure the girls don't get you." Tatsuki draped her arm over Orihime's shoulder. "Or maybe the other team will just give up when they get a look at fuming Rukia over here."

Rukia rolled her eyes, but she was glad they were doing dodgeball. It meant she could vent a little.

"Good morning, class, please line up from shortest to tallest," coach announced once everyone was there.

It took a good five minutes, but everyone managed to line up without too much hassle.

Coach then proceeded to send one person right and the next to the left and so on. Soon there were two teams and a lot of mixed emotions.

Rukia and Orihime were on the same team, but Tatsuki and Ichigo were their opponents. Coach quickly ran them through the rules and soon all them were against their respective walls.

The whistle sounded.

Rukia was the first to make it to the line, and didn't bother to retreat before taking out two of the other team's players. She was on a roll, and seeing Ichigo on the other side was only increasing her determination.

The game quickly thinned out until there was only five players left on each side- Rukia and four others on her side and Ichigo, Tatsuki, and three random kids.

"Okay, guys, last two minutes. Team with the most players left wins," Coach announced.

"Bring it on, Rukia," Tatsuki goaded as Coach placed five balls in the middle of the room.

Five balls, ten players. It was go time. They ended up with three of the balls on Tatsuki's side and two on Rukia's, but where Rukia's team managed to take out two of the other team's players, Tatsuki's side only got one. And that's how the game came to an end.

"Okay, shake," Coach ordered and last player standing moved towards each other. Tatsuki gave Rukia a big smile, congratulating her on the win. Ichigo, on the other hand, was less warm. He didn't look at Rukia as they shook hands, well, more like grazed palms.

"That didn't look too good," Tatsuki whispered into Rukia's ear. "What happened?"

"We had a fight, and now I'm trying to make it better, but Ichigo's being stubborn about it," Rukia said through clenched teeth.

They watched as Ichigo left the gym with the rest of the guys. The girls followed after, wanting to get dressed before break.

"You know what I found works best on his stubborn ass?" Tatsuki offered. "Getting straight to the point and not giving him chance to slip away."

Deep down, Rukia knew that, but direct confrontation in this situation scared her. She didn't want her big mouth being the reason she lost Ichigo.

 _Can't lose what you don't have_. Ichigo didn't belong to Rukia, she had driven that point home for him. And the unexpected longing that Rukia felt caused her to shudder.

"Thanks," Rukia said as she left Tatsuki. The bell for break had gone and she knew where she would find a scowling Ichigo.

She ran into Uryu and Chad halfway to the roof.

"Hey, Rukia," Uryu greeted and Chad nodded his head.

"Guys, do you maybe mind giving me some time alone with Ichigo?" Rukia asked. She noticed their suspicions glance at each other, but figured she didn't have time to entertain them by spinning a story.

"Sure," Uryu, "Is everything okay?"

"Nothing to worry about, just a tiny fight," Rukia said before starting up the stairs to the roof.

The door to the roof was propped open, probably a sign from Ichigo to his friends. But Rukia didn't waste any time in removing the brick and swinging the door shut.

"You guys are late," Ichigo's irritated voice comes from around the corner.

Rukia, her bravado slightly wavering, stepped around. "They're not coming."

Ichigo's eyes widened for a split second as he stared at her form. He managed to compose himself, getting to his feet.

"Then I'll go find the-" Ichigo didn't meet her eyes, which only helped to infuriate her more.

"No," Rukia interrupted, throwing her arm out to stop him from passing by. "You can't keep avoiding me."

"Don't flatter yourself, midget," Ichigo said, but his words are strained.

 _That's it_ , Rukia thought, seconds before she stepped up to him, grabbing him by the material on his shoulder and chest. In one smooth motion she brought her one leg between his from behind, hooked the back of their knees and paralleled her body with one leg planted on the ground.

Ichigo let out a yelp of surprise as he lost his balance and hit the ground flat on his back. Before he could get up, Rukia was on him, straddling his stomach.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ichigo exclaimed.

Instead of answering, Rukia leaned forward until her head is directly above his. Ichigo looked away.

Raising a fist, Rukia brought it down onto his chest with about as much force as a baby. "Look at me, damn it."

The sadness in her voice took even her by surprise.

Slowly Ichigo lifted his head, their eyes properly meeting for the first time in almost a week. Rukia felt the inside of her stomach knot.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know you're probably still mad about the biting thing, but right now, I want to be here for you and you're not making it easy at all."

Ichigo still didn't say anything.

"You might not admit it, but the serial killer thing has you rattled, and I can see that. Please," Rukia took a breath, "Please, just talk to me."

Ichigo's eyes stayed on hers, but he made no move to answer. He really was mad at her, or if not, Rukia had no idea why he was still shutting her out.

 _What if he hates me?_ The though popped up before she could stop it. A cold shrill ran down her spine, the knot in her stomach becoming physically painful.

Rukia sat up, her hair dropping over her eyes as she lowered her head.

"Fine, I won't bother you any further. Just know that I'm here." And with that she pushed herself onto her knees and was about to get up when a hand wrapped around her wrist.

This time it was Rukia's turn to yell out as she was harshly tugged to the side (good call not to get changed out of her gym clothes). Luckily she didn't hit the ground hard, and Ichigo's face looming over her silenced any further objections.

"I'm sorry." Ichigo's voice was barely audible.

Before Rukia could react, his lips were on her. She had almost forgotten what his touch could do to her, but as Ichigo kissed his way down her jaw she couldn't help the sound that slipped from between her lips.

When Ichigo reached the collar of his shirt, he raised a hand and tugged her bow-tie off before undoing the first two buttons. Any more than that and Rukia probably would have stopped him, but now there was just enough space for Ichigo's lips to reach her throat. And Rukia liked that, she like that very much.

Rukia's hands reached past him and wrapped themselves in the fabric on his back, tugging him closer. Ichigo didn't need further motivation as he lowered himself onto her, still keeping most of his weight on his arms.

A loud cheer from the sport field below broke their spell.

Breathing heavily, they pulled apart, knowing they were in a very compromising position if someone decided to venture onto the roof. It would cause them a lot of problems.

Reluctantly they both sat up, and Rukia gave a little laugh as she found her legs were a bit numb. She scooted over to the wall and leaned her back against it. Ichigo joined her.

"So, I'm forgiven?" Rukia asked hopefully.

"Remind me again what I should forgive you for?" Ichigo pretended to scratch his chin in thought. He just wanted her to say it aloud.

"I'm very sorry for biting your lip and running away," Rukia muttered.

"And why was that again?" Ichigo probed.

"Because," Rukia started, but remembered that she never actually told him why she did it. "It's nothing."

"Come on, Rukia, this is a two-way street. I'll apologise for avoiding you if you tell me why you bit me," Ichigo proposed.

"That's not fair. Then you should _explain_ why you avoided me," Rukia countered.

"Well, you did bite me," Ichigo pointed out. "But fine, I'll explain as well."

"I thought there was another girl," Rukia blurted out.

Chancing a peek at Ichigo, she saw his expression change from confused to surprised.

"You though I was cheating?"

The word cheating caught Rukia's attention. Cheating was something you could do in a relationship, she and Ichigo weren't exclusive, so technically it wouldn't be cheating.

"When we both got ill, I somehow," not so somehow, "got it in my head that you might have gotten it from kissing someone else." Rukia explained it in a whisper.

"Or, you know, I play for about five teams and from time to time I take a sip from their water bottles." Ichigo didn't sound mad, more like disappointed that she didn't trust him enough. "Haru, in the soccer team, had it shortly before we got it, and I remember him letting me take a sip of his water a few times."

Rukia pulled her knees into her chest and groaned. "I feel so stupid."

"You acted pretty stupid," Ichigo added.

Rukia turned her head to him. "I'm sorry, I should have thought about something other than some girl wrapping herself around you."

"What type of girl?" Ichigo asked and Rukia swatted his arm.

"I'm kidding." Ichigo laughed. "Just so you know, even if you don't know what _this_ is, I won't go sneaking around behind your back. I'm loyal to you."

Ichigo's words didn't take Rukia by surprise, by her breath did hitch.

"Your turn," Rukia said, unsure of how to answer his statement.

"Well, for one I thought you didn't want to see me- the whole biting think you know? But when I found out that man was killing again…" Ichigo hesitated. "I don't even know. You were clearly struggling with something and I didn't want to unload my problems on you as well."

"We're friends, Ichigo. Right?" Rukia asked.

At first Ichigo didn't understand, but answered nonetheless, "Of course."

"Then don't be stupid. Even if I was confused about something, I'll always be there for you. Even if don't really understand what's going on between us, I'll always have your back."

"Yeah," Ichigo whispered. He looked down at her, his eyes holding an emotion Rukia couldn't decipher; they were warm, but there was something else there as well.

"So, are we good now?" Rukia asked, his gaze making her nervous, but in a good way.

"We're great," Ichigo confirmed.

They smiled at each other, feeling how some of the weight lifted of their shoulders. It was easier to breath.

Neither of them moved until break ended, and when Ichigo made to get up, Rukia grabbed his sleeve.

"Could you, if you want to, kiss me?" Rukia was blushing furiously. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, not just on her throat like a few minutes before.

Ichigo leaned in until their noses were almost touching. "Are you going to bite again?"

"Who knows?" Rukia muttered, but neither of them cared about her answer.

Ichigo's lips slanted against hers; what was intended to be sweet and light ended up being passionate and deep. Ichigo probably would have pressed her back into the ground if they didn't have to go to class.

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 **Please review**

 **xxx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi guys! Thank you so much for being patient with me, I am a terrible author. But at least I give you a pretty long chapter by means of apology-like 300-something words. Please enjoy.**

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Chapter | 14

"They're not cancelling the fireworks festival?" Orihime asked one afternoon as they were heading home.

"Apparently not, they don't think the killer will try anything in such a large group of people." Tatsuki shrugged. "They are at least trying to raise awareness about not walking alone."

 _The festival…_ Rukia stared off into the distance. She was listening to her friends, but not really delivering much of an input.

"Yo, Rukia, you there?" Tatsuki snapped her fingers in front of Rukia's face.

Rukia waved her hand away. "Yes, I'm here. Just a little distracted."

"Oooh, is it a boy?" Orihime teased.

"No." _Yes._

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." _No_.

"Speaking of boys," Tatsuki chipped in, "I heard Uryu asked you to the festival, Hime."

Rukia's eyebrows shot up. "He did?"

Orihime blushed. "Yeah, he kinda did. But I said no."

"Why would you do that?" Rukia scolded.

"I guess I'm still hoping that Ichigo might…" Orihime trailed off, her eyes falling to the ground.

Rukia and Tatsuki exchanged looks.

"Well, there's still three more days, who knows what can happen?" Tatsuki hooked her arm around Orihime's neck and pulled her closer.

Rukia envied how close they were. Other than Renji, she didn't have many friends in Tokyo. Never mind female friends.

"Anyway, see you guys Monday!" Rukia called as she turned the corner. Walking with them was already a bit of a detour, but she didn't mind the effort. She would have wanted to see them over the weekend, but Orihime was visiting relatives and Tatsuki had a training camp. She had tried to make plans with Renji as well, but he was on the same camp as Tatsuki.

Finally, her house came into view. Rukia groaned. Once again her street was packed with cars, another dojo meeting in session.

So, instead, Rukia just continued walking. She didn't have anywhere specific in mind, but soon she found herself in front of the Kurosaki Clinic.

Things had been going strong between her and Ichigo since she threw him to the ground on the roof. Stronger than what she should have allowed. Her deal had been that she would be with Ichigo only as entertainment, but even that had been selfish. She was so good at pushing people away, why couldn't she just do that to Ichigo?

And now…

"Rukia?"

Rukia's head whipped around to find Ichigo behind her.

"Oh, um, sorry, I was just passing by," Rukia mumbled before started to walk away.

Ichigo reached out and grabbed her hand. His skin was rough, calloused from all the sports he did. "Why don't we hang out for a bit?"

 _Say no_ , Rukia thought, but her feet had other ideas. One moment they were planted outside his house, and the next she was folding them under her on the couch.

"Here." Ichigo handed her a glass of water.

Rukia took a big sip.

"So, how was school for you?" Rukia knew it was awkward, but she wanted to keep the conversation as shallow as possible. Nothing deep, nothing emotional.

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow. "It was fine, and for you?"

"Fine," Rukia agreed.

"Don't worry, I didn't hook up with a random girl," Ichigo mocked.

"You're never going to drop that, are you?" Rukia sighed. "I told you I was sorry, so get over it already." Her words sounded harsh, but the smile on her face told otherwise.

"Whatever midget, I won't let you forget until the day you die that the great Rukia Kuchiki can be jealous."

"I wasn't jealous," Rukia assured him.

"No? You sure about that?" There was a glint in Ichigo's eyes, he wanted her to take the bait.

"Why would I be? Any girl stupid enough to fall for your carrot-top needs to have her head checked." Hypocrite was the first word that sprang to Rukia's mind once her sentence was out.

"Should I make you an appointment now, or later?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't need to get my head checked." Rukia glowered at him.

"Whatever you say," Ichigo sighed.

"What exactly are you implying, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"I'm not implying anything. I'm saying that you need to get your head checked." Ichigo took her empty glass and placed it in the sink.

"Well, thank you for the drink, but I'll be on my way now," Rukia announced as she stood up.

Just then, Yuzu came down the stairs.

"You're leaving?" She sounded sad. "Why don't you stay for dinner? It's boring to cook for people who don't appreciate it."

"Hey!" Ichigo voiced. "We appreciate it."

"Please, Rukia," Yuzu continued.

Rukia sighed. "Fine, but can I at least call home quickly?"

After being shown where the home telephone was, Rukia called Byakuya and explained the situation. But to her surprise, Byakuya had a request of his own.

Rukia gulped nervously as she pressed the end-call button.

"Dinner's ready!" Yuzu called from the kitchen.

Everyone emerged from their areas after that. Mr Kurosaki from the clinic and Karin from her room. They were surprised to see Rukia at the table, but welcomed her with open arms.

Once everyone was settled with a plate of food, Rukia brought Byakuya's request to light.

"Mr Kurosaki, is there a possibility that I might be able to spend the weekend here?" Rukia blurted out.

Ichigo dropped his chopsticks.

"My brother says there's trouble at the main dojo in Tokyo, so he has to fly there tonight. With everything going on," Rukia didn't mention the serial killed, "he doesn't think it safe for me to be alone."

"Any girlfriend of Ichigo is welcome to spend the night!" Mr Kurosaki exclaimed without a second thought.

"We're not going out!" Rukia and Ichigo corrected him together.

Karin and Yuzu rolled their eyes.

Rukia relaxed a bit. "Thank you, someone will be over to drop of my things in a bit."

As if on que, the doorbell rang. Rukia excused herself and came back with a duffel bag.

The rest of dinner was hectic; Mr Kurosaki making inappropriate jokes, Ichigo yelling at his dad, Karin yelling at Ichigo, and Yuzu quietly eating her meal. All the while, Rukia could hold back her laughter.

"Sorry about the loud meal," Ichigo apologised as they were doing the dishes.

"Don't be, it was… refreshing."

"Not the word I would use, but it could work." Ichigo laughed softly, almost as if to himself.

"I'm serious," Rukia pressed. "Back in the orphanage, meal time was always quiet. There was nothing homey or warm about it, and the food was always horrible. Although the food at Byakuya's is amazing, dinner is usually much more peaceful."

When Ichigo didn't say anything, Rukia stopped scrubbing her plate and looked up. He was staring at her.

"What?"

"No, nothing really. It's just the first time you've told me about your life in Tokyo," Ichigo admitted.

Rukia shrugged. "There isn't much to tell."

Ichigo didn't push her for more, but she knew he was curious. They finished the rest of the dished in silence before returning to the kitchen.

Afterwards they set up a bed in the living room; Ichigo graciously surrendered his bed to Rukia. Actually, he didn't surrender it, and there was nothing gracious about it. Karin and Rukia teamed up against him, threatening to tell everyone he still kept a stuffed doll on his bed.

"Leave Kōn out of this," Ichigo muttered as he threw himself down onto the futon.

"It's not healthy," Rukia said, Karin nodding.

"Says the one who's obsessed with Chappie," Ichigo pointed out.

Rukia stuck her tongue out before following the girls up the stairs. They said goodnight and Rukia's shut the door to Ichigo's room behind her.

Suddenly she felt nervous. Ichigo wasn't even in the room, but her heart was pounding like crazy as she slipped under the covers of his bed.

His scent overwhelmed her. She snuggled deeper into the sheets, pulling as much of it closer to her as she could. It was almost as good as being embraced by Ichigo. Almost.

Morning dawned much sooner than she had hoped for and she found it hard to detangle herself from his sheets. But, with a heavy groan, Rukia dragged herself out of bed and down the stairs.

The rest of the Kurosaki family was still asleep, except maybe Yuzu, who Rukia had heard shuffling about in her room.

Ichigo, on the other hand, was still sleeping soundly in the living room.

Rukia knelt down next to his futon. He looked peaceful; the usual scowl gone, making his face softer, younger. His hair had also grown out, falling over his eyes.

"Are you done staring?" Ichigo's voice jolted her out of her trance.

"I'm not staring, I'm observing," Rukia retorted. She tried to keep her voice from wavering.

"It's too early to be observing, go back to bed," Ichigo mumbled. His eyes opened slightly. "Or better yet, come here."

Lightning fast, Ichigo tugged her onto the futon. He had managed to lift the sheets and they fluttered down, covering Rukia.

Ichigo grabbed her by the hips and pulled her back until she pressed against him.

"Now sleep."

To Rukia's surprise, she did doze off again. Until she was woken up by heavy footsteps coming down the stairs- Mr Kurosaki.

Rukia pushed herself onto her elbows, ready to get up, but Ichigo gently yanked her back down. Her head went under the sheets and Ichigo wrapped his body around her. If anyone were to look at them from above, Rukia's form would not be noticeable.

"Ichigo!" Mr Kurosaki called from the top of his lungs.

"You're loud, old man," Ichigo grumbled.

"Please inform my daughter-in-law that I enjoyed her company. I need to leave for the conference, but I'll be back tomorrow morning," My Kurosaki said.

Ichigo's body tensed at 'daughter-in-law."

"Sure, I'll tell Rukia." He wasn't trying to deny it.

Once Mr Kurosaki had left, Rukia crawled out from under the sheets. "That was too close."

"He wouldn't have minded. The only reason I hid you was because I'm not in the mood for his talk about grandchildren," Ichigo admitted.

Rukia reddened.

"Anyway," Ichigo pushed the sheets away from them, "You heard the man."

When Ichigo stood up, Rukia couldn't help but admire the smooth muscles on his back. She had a feeling that she could "observe" them for hours on end.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Ichigo asked, stretching his arms above his head. The muscles rippled.

Rukia didn't answer, she couldn't seem to find the words.

Ichigo peeked over his shoulder, noticing her cloudy eyes.

His shirt was on in a second flat.

Rukia found her voice. "Um, flapjacks?" It was the first thing that came to mind.

"We should have a mix somewhere." Ichigo entered the kitchen and started rummaging around.

Five minutes later, he and Rukia were mixing the batter. And of course, they managed to bicker about everything from the amount of sugar to who gets to flip the flapjacks. But there was nothing hostile about it, and both of them were in high spirited when they sat down for breakfast.

"So, any plans for today?" Rukia asked.

"I promised Karin I'd go play soccer with her and the team, want to tag along?" Ichigo took a bite of his flapjack.

"Sure, can I play?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "You can play?"

"I'm not soccer star, but Renji and I played with the other orphanage kids." Rukia tugged a strand of hair behind her ear. "I should be able to hold my own."

"Then why not? I'm sure Karin will be happy."

Speak of the devil, and he will appear.

"What will I be happy about?" Karin asked as she came down the stairs. Probably following the scent of food.

"Rukia's joining us for soccer," Ichigo explained.

"Should be fun." Karin smiled. "Poor Toshiro though, he seems to get very nervous when I mention you."

"I can't imagine why," Rukia said. Only Ichigo noticed the sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, I'll be going ahead then, see you guys in an hour or so." Karin waved goodbye.

In the end, the game was more fun than Rukia had anticipated. She and Ichigo were on the same team, and they worked together like pieces of a well-oiled machine. Of course, with Karin and Toshiro as their opponents, the game was an easy. With a final count of two-for-two, the game was ended on a good note.

Karin and Ichigo were discussing a move he had managed to pull off for the first goal, when Rukia noticed Toshiro standing alone. She couldn't see the harm in poking some fun out of him.

"Toshiro!" Rukia called as she jogged up to him.

Him seemed a bit more at ease around her since the game, but she could still see his eyes become more alert.

"So, have you made a move on Karin yet?" Rukia gave him a sly smile.

Toshiro kept his stoic front, but couldn't stop the blood that rushed to his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Rukia nudged him in the ribs. "Oh please, I know you have the hots for her."

"I do not have _the hots_ for her, I just find her fun to be around," Toshiro admitted. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

"Then why not try having fun with her on, say, a date?" Rukia suggested.

Toshiro opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again. After rubbing his temples, he tried again. "And where would you propose this date should be?"

"Seriously?" Rukia cocked in eyebrow. "You're the youngest person to get your black-belt in five different martial arts, _and_ become head of a dojo. And now you're asking me where to take her on a date?"

Rukia could practically see a vein throbbing on Toshiro's forehead. "I'm good with those kind of things, not with girls."

Rukia sighed. She might as well help the guy out. "There's a festival coming up, why don't you ask her to go with you?"

"A festival…" He thought about it for a second. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Thank you, Rukia."

Toshiro started to walk towards Karin.

"Oh, and Toshiro." He stopped. "Don't only talk about soccer."

As Toshiro approached the siblings, Ichigo said his goodbye and joined Rukia.

"Where to now?" she asks.

"I was thinking we grab something to eat, I've already burnt up those flapjacks." To demonstrate this, Ichigo's stomach grumbled loudly.

"Boys, you just can't stop eating." Rukia envied him. "But food sounds good right about now."

They managed to find an open table at the first restaurant they passed. Rukia ordered a sandwich and Ichigo a burger.

"Rukia, there was something I wanted to ask you," Ichigo announced half-way through their meals.

Rukia motioned for him to continue.

"As you probably know, there's a festival next week." Ichigo put his burger down, turning his head away.

"Wouldyouliketogo?" he mumbled.

"What?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo took a deep breath. "I want you to go with me to the festival."

Butterflies erupted in Rukia's stomach. His question brought an unexpectedly overwhelming feeling to her. What was this feeling? Rukia couldn't pin it down.

And then her last conversation with Orihime came to mind.

Clenching her teeth, Rukia forced herself not to scream yes. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Rukia looked up, surprised. Usually you don't ask someone once they've said no. But, of course, Ichigo wouldn't just take no for an answer. Unfortunately, Rukia didn't have an excuse other than the truth, and she couldn't tell him that.

"I can't explain it," Rukia confessed.

"That's not a reason." Ichigo sounded annoyed, and Rukia didn't blame him.

"Well, you'll just have to live with it."

"Why can't you just tell me?" Ichigo demanded.

"Why do we have to fight about it? My answer is no," Rukia pushed back.

"Because you're being vague as hell. And unless it's because of me, I can't see why you won't go."

"It has nothing to do with you," Rukia reassured him. "Which is why I can't tell you."

"Is it because of us?"

Ichigo really had a knack for guessing a part of the answer. Technically, it was because of them. If Rukia said yes, there was no way they could keep their "relationship" a secret.

"I've told you before, there is no us." This time Rukia whispered, her voice unsure.

"Yeah, you keep reminding me."

"Can we please not fight about this? Just-" Rukia took a shaky breath. "Please, just trust me."

She wasn't sure whether it was the pain in her voice, or the way she clenched her hands together that caused Ichigo's eyes to soften.

As expected, the rest of their day was somewhat awkward. There wasn't any fighting, but then again, there wasn't much talking either. Hanging around the house, they pretty much did their own thing until Rukia announced she was going to bed.

Pulling the sheets over her body, Rukia was once again overwhelmed by the scent. But this time, her heart ached painfully.

There was a knock on the door. Slowly it swung open, Ichigo's mop of hair bright against all the grey colours.

"Sorry, It's pretty cold tonight. I just want to grab a sweater."

Rukia sat upright. "It's fine, you can come in."

Ichigo shut the door behind him, walking sheepishly to the closet. He reached out, fingers touching the door, but stopped.

Rukia's heart gave a jump when he turned around to face her.

"It's not cold tonight…" she whispered.

"I know," Ichigo said, and then he was kissing her.

Even when he was sitting next to her, Ichigo had to bend down to reach her. Rukia straightened her spine as much as she could.

His lips were gentle, nudging her mouth open. Rukia didn't need further motivation, opening her mouth to let him in.

Ichigo made a sound in the back of his throat when Rukia skimmed his bottom lip with her teeth. Using his body, he pushed her onto her back. Pulling his legs onto the bed until he was lying on his side next to her.

Rukia knew he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, but at that moment, it was the last thing she was worried about. Rolling over, Rukia hooked her leg over his hip, bringing herself in close.

A hand snaked up her back and clutched at the material, burning her skin through it.

Rukia's hands did some exploring of their own; gliding over his collarbones and down his chest until they reached the hem of his shirt. The smooth skin of his abdomen was even hotter than his hands, but Rukia's spread her fingers, wanting to touch of much of it as she could.

Their kiss became deeper, more passionate, almost consuming. Rukia knew they had to stop, or else there would be no turning back. But when Ichigo glided his hands under her shirt, Rukia couldn't think of anything other than the feel of his hands on her.

Before she could allow herself to think about, Rukia pulled her shirt off and pressed her chest against Ichigo- his shirt was already in a little heap on the ground.

Ichigo pushed her back into the bed, his lips leaving hers to trail down her throat and even lower. Rukia couldn't stop him, didn't want to stop him. Her breathing was loud, Ichigo's breaths sending tingles down her spine as he planted a kiss on her belly.

Grabbing the back of his head, Rukia pulled him back up. Her lips captured his, kissing him hard.

And then their spell was broken by a door opening down the hallway. Dragging feet moved to the bathroom.

Even when one of the twins returned to their bedroom, they couldn't tell which one it was, Rukia and Ichigo pulled on their clothes. They were excruciatingly aware of how close they were to the edge.

But instead of letting him leave, Rukia tugged Ichigo into bed with her. They spent about an hour just talking, Rukia telling him about her life at the orphanage, and Ichigo telling her about their friends and about his mother. She loved hearing about his mother.

As they talked, Rukia recalled her first impression of Ichigo. He hadn't changed much in that regard, but now Rukia knew there was so much more to him than that.

And now…

 _I think I'm falling for him_.

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 **Please review, I honestly needs some motivation right now :D**

 **xx**


	16. Chapter 16

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I was super happy with them all and I smiled like and idiot while reading them (and I always read them). I hope this chapter will also be good!**

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 **Chapter | 15**

When Rukia arrived home on Sunday night, she was surprised to find her brother waiting outside. His arms were crossed and his fingers tapping it- he was nervous.

"Brother?" Rukia asked as she stepped out of the car.

"Rukia, I'm glad to see you look good," Byakuya said.

"I am, thank you." Rukia was starting to get the sneaky feeling that something was up. "Is there something the matter?"

Byakuya's eyes darted towards the house. "We have a guest…"

And then it made sense.

Rukia snickered. "Are you hiding?"

"She is a particularly enthusiastic guest," was all Byakuya said. So yeah, he was hiding.

Having never been in the situation with Byakuya, Rukia wasn't sure whether she needed to scold him or comfort him. Was it even possible to scold Byakuya Kuchiki? She tried to imagine her sister doing it, but that didn't seem likely either.

"Would you like me to entertain for a bit?" Removing herself from the situation seemed like the best idea.

Byakuya's eyes softened. **"Thank** you very much, Rukia."

The head butler met her at the front door and took her bag.

"Where is our guest?" Rukia asked him.

"I believe she is taking a bath, should I inform her you are here?" the butler asked.

"Yes, please, I'll be in the kitchen."

With a nod the butler ascended the stairs and Rukia made a beeline for the fridge. The Kurosakis had fed her well, but her last day with them had been hectic.

It was as she was heating up a plate of leftovers that she heard a commotion from the stairs. Barely five seconds passed before a red blur appeared in the kitchen, making straight for Rukia.

"Rukia!" the blur called.

Next thing she knew, Rukia found her face pressed into something unbelievable soft. Arms wrapped around her shoulders and kept her there.

"Can't." Rukia gasped. "Breath."

"Oh, sorry about that." The person stepped away and Rukia came face-to-face with a pretty spectacular amount of cleavage.

After seeing that, Rukia didn't even have to look at the person's face to know who it was.

"Rangiku, it's been a while," Rukia greeted.

"What? Is that all you have to say to me?" Rangiku pouted.

Rukia softened. "Sorry, my heads a little full at the moment. How about I make us some tea?"

"Sounds great, and then we can talk about what has your head full." Rangiku clapped her hands together.

"Great, and Rangiku?" Rukia averted her eyes. "Why don't you go put on some clothes?"

Rangiku looked down at the towel wrapped around her body. "Good point, see you in a bit."

By the time Rukia placed the steaming cups of tea on the coffee table, Rangiku emerged- fully clothed.

"Now, spill it," Rangiku ordered. She wrapped a perfectly manicured hand around her cup's handle.

"Well, school has been busy. The teachers keep giving us homework and exams are coming up…" Rukia tried to make it sound dull, but getting something past Rangiku was almost impossible.

"Uh-huh, now tell me about the boy that's got you frazzled."

Rukia blushed, taking a sip from her cup in hopes the colour would drain from her face. Or that she could blame it on the steam. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Rukia, when it comes to the affairs of the heart, you can't hide anything from me," Rangiku said.

Rukia denied it again.

"Very well, maybe I'll just have to tell a certain someone that his sister is smitten. And if I know Byakuya, he'll jump to conclusions about who the mystery boy is, and-" Rangiku stopped when Rukia raised her hand.

"Fine, there might be something _concerning_ a boy, but he doesn't have me frazzled or anything," Rukia finally admitted. Byakuya already disliked Ichigo, she didn't need to add fuel to the proverbial fire.

And then she told Rangiku. She started with finding out Orihime liked Ichigo, her promise, then about the bonfire kiss, and how things just spun out of control from there on out. By the end, Rukia was out of breath and Rangiku looked more than a little intrigued.

"That's one hell of a story you got going there. Now tell me, what do you plan on doing?" Straight for the hard-hitter.

"What can I do? I promised my friend something, I can't just break it. The idea of hurting a friend just so that I can be happy doesn't sit well with me." Rukia finished the last of her tea. She placed the cup down and folded her hands in her lap.

"I get what you're saying, but don't you think the game has changed?" Rangiku asked.

Rukia looked up.

"If this guy is so great, your friend will understand if you fell for him in the process. I mean, hell, I don't know who he is, but I'm ready to take a bite out of him," Rangiku declared.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess you have a point. But I still don't know how I'm supposed to tell her that." Rukia sighed.

"Honey, I don't think there will ever be a right or wrong situation to tell a friend something like that. You'll just have to get it over with. And if your friend likes him that much, do it soon."

Rangiku had a point; if Rukia was going to do it, she should stop moping about it. Hurting Orihime was the last thing she wanted to do, but the idea of being with Ichigo… It felt right.

Rangiku sighed heavily. "Rukia, I've seen you at your worst, and I've seen you get better, but I've never seen you like this. You clearly have some denial going on, but this boy seems like he changed you."

In a way, it was true. But it wasn't just Ichigo. All her friends had helped the change, but Ichigo was the one that pulled her out of her shell. He was the one gave her the nudge she needed.

Rukia smiled to herself.

"See, he even has you smiling like an idiot," Rangiku mocked her.

"I'll do it, I'll explain why I can't help her anymore and hopefully she'll understand," Rukia agreed.

"When?"

Damn it, Rukia was avoiding that. "This week."

"Vague, but I'll take it." Rangiku yawned. "Seems like my bed is calling. Tell that delicious piece of man-candy you call brother that I say goodnight."

 _Delicious piece of what?_ Rukia thought as Rangiku sauntered out of the room.

As lunch rolled around on Monday afternoon, Rukia found herself at a table with a very depressed looking Orihime.

"The festival is tonight, but Ichigo doesn't look like he has any plans of asking me," Orihime muttered into the table top. She was lying on her arms, orange haired fanned out over her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Hime." Tatsuki put a hand on her head before shooting Rukia the 'do something' look.

Rukia shrugged, the universal sign for 'what am I supposed to do?'

Tatsuki sighed.

As if being called, Ichigo suddenly materialised at their table.

"Is something wrong, Orihime?" he asked.

In less than a second, Orihime composed herself. She even managed to paste a ridiculously sweet smile on her face.

"Oh, Ichigo, don't worry, I'm fine," Orihime said.

If Ichigo seemed a little suspicious of her one-hundred-and-eighty-degree change, he didn't let on. "I'm glad."

And then he turned to Rukia. "I wanted to ask you something about tonight."

Rukia's body tensed. "Tonight?"

"The festival, remember?" Ichigo coked an eyebrow.

 _Seriously? He's bringing it up in front of two people?_

"Of course, what of it?" Rukia narrowed her eyes, daring him to make the mistake of asking her in front of Orihime.

When Ichigo caught onto her glare, he didn't answer immediately.

"Are you going?" Orihime suddenly asked.

Ichigo tore his eyes away from Rukia. "If I can find the right person to go with."

Rukia was about to tell him to bugger off, but then she caught sight of Orihime. On the surface, she appeared to be making causal conversation, but the way she clasped her hands together, her tight smile, and her nervous foot-tapping, all told a different story.

Another wave of embarrassment swept over Rukia. Had she really planned on just leaving Orihime in the dirt so that she could have Ichigo? So much for her conversation with Rangiku.

"I have an idea," Rukia forced the words out, "Why don't you go together?"

She could feel Ichigo's questioning gaze on her. And Orihime, who Rukia had feasted her attention on, was turning pinker by the second.

At last she muttered, "I don't mind."

Rukia's teeth clenched tightly together as she waited for Ichigo's answer.

"Great, what time will we meet?" Ichigo asked.

A painful throb started in Rukia's chest and she almost laughed. She had literally pushed them together and now her brain felt it deserved to feel bad? If anything it should be glad that she's finally delivering on her promise.

As Ichigo and Orihime ironed out the details, Rukia felt a pair of eyes on her. It turned out to be Tatsuki.

The lunch bell rang and they packed away.

For the rest of the day, Rukia could feel Ichigo practically seething in his seat behind her. She was actually too scared to turn around and face him. Him being mad she could handle, but him being furious was an entirely different matter.

Luckily, Rukia managed to avoid him until the end of the day. But since they followed the same route home, her tactics ended. She couldn't very well change her entire route, could she?

"You know I want you to go with me tonight," Ichigo scoffed as she walked past him. They were a few blocks away from the school, but Rukia had hoped that leaving thirty minutes later would give Ichigo too much of a head-start.

"I'm aware of this," Rukia simply said.

"And you still told us to go together?" Ichigo demanded.

"I thought it would be a good idea." Rukia pulled her jacket tighter around herself. "And I don't see why not. Orihime is a wonderful person, you two will be great together." The words burned worse than any chilly.

In two steps Ichigo was in front of her. He yanked her close, both their bags hitting the pavement. Lips collided with hers and Rukia gasped out of surprise. Ichigo took his opening and slid his tongue in, kissing her desperately.

After an entire day of wanting Ichigo, but not being able to have him, it was too much. Even the idea of letting go made her stomach ache.

Her hands wound around his neck as she pulled him closer. She was painfully aware of their surroundings, but the feel of Ichigo's hands on her back didn't allow her to break away.

"I like Orihime, but that's it. Rukia, she's not you," Ichigo whispered when he finally broke the kiss. "I don't know why you're suddenly trying to hook us up, but it won't work."

 _Not so suddenly_ , Rukia thought.

Rukia tried to look away, but Ichigo wasn't having it.

Pressing their foreheads together, Ichigo looked her squarely in the eye. "My friends and family are the most important people to me. I will do anything for them, and I will never screw them over. Rukia, if you're doing all this because you think I'll leave you when I'm bored, you're wrong."

"That's not it," Rukia breathed against his lips.

"Then tell me," Ichigo pleaded.

Rukia pulled away. "If you don't get going, you won't make it in time."

Ichigo's hand slid into hers, keeping her from walking away. "Please, for once, just tell me what is going on."

There was nothing angry about his words. He was hurting, as if her silence was physically paining him. Rukia couldn't stand the idea.

Taking a deep breath, Rukia turned to face him. "Orihime likes you, she has for a long time."

Ichigo's eyes widened and a blush started on his cheeks

"W-what?" he stammered.

"Seriously, how did you not notice?" Rukia asked. "You seem pretty attuned to how I'm feeling."

"I don't focus on Orihime in that way. Sure, I can notice when her mood changes, or when she's in trouble, but other than that, I'm oblivious." Ichigo scratched the back of his head.

"Just after I met her, I promised Orihime I would help set you up. I couldn't understand what she saw in you, but-" Rukia looked at her feet, "You're not as big of a moron as I had thought."

Ichigo laughed. "Well, that explains pretty much everything. The reason you've been keeping us at fling-level was because of the promise."

"Orihime is my friend, and I all but stabbed her in the back," Rukia pointed out. She was getting a little annoyed with him.

"No, you put what you wanted aside and tried to keep your promise," Ichigo retorted.

A silence settled between them.

"Rukia, you know that I'm going to reject her tonight, right?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia's heart did something between a fall and a skip- both happy and sad.

"Why?" Rukia still had to hear it from him.

"Let's see if you can figure that out." And with those words still hanging, Ichigo jogged up ahead of her.

Rukia continued the rest of the way home where she spent her evening doing homework and wondering how things were going between Ichigo and Orihime. Just as the thoughts were starting to drive her insane, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Rukia called.

"So," Rangiku asked as she stuck her head into the room, "Did you tell your friend yet?"

Rukia put her textbook down as Rangiku closed the door. "Looks like I won't need to, the guy found out about the promise," she admitted.

Rangiku thought it over. "Well, that's one way of solving the problem. Let's just hope your boy is subtle about it."

Rukia's breath hitched. She hadn't even though about what Ichigo would say. What if he mentioned how he felt about Rukia? Orihime might be a little ditzy, but she's by no means stupid. It wouldn't be hard to put two-and-two together.

And then she pulled herself together. "No, Ichigo wouldn't hurt her more than he probably already will. He just isn't that kind of person."

"Great, then-" The doorbell rang.

Byakuya wasn't in that night, so it could only be for her, but Rukia wasn't expecting anyone. Apologising to Rangiku, she rose from her chair and made for the door. Rangiku decided to follow.

"W-what are you doing here?" Rukia stammered as she reached the front door.

The butler was standing there, Ichigo giving him his coat.

Before Rukia could ask again, Rangiku was downstairs.

"You must be the mystery boy," she cooed, her eyes devouring him from head to toe. Then she looked at Rukia. "I approve."

"Sorry for barging in, Rukia," Ichigo apologise. He seemed only mildly confused at the beautiful woman practically undressing him with her eyes.

"It's fine, are you alright?" Rukia asked.

"I'm fine, but we have a bit of a problem," Ichigo said sheepishly.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I swear, if you made that girl cry, I will beat you," Rukia threatened.

"I didn't reject her, Rukia," Ichigo blurted out.

Rukia felt surprised, and a little hurt. "Why not?"

"I didn't have to…" Ichigo swallowed.

"She knew. Orihime knew about us."

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 **Jobananasan, to answer your question, I'm not sure how many chapters more. I usually write what comes to mind and then see where it goes :) But I don't believe I'll write more than 20 chapters.**

 **Please review**

 **x**


	17. Chapter 17

**So, just a little heads-up for the more sensitive readers- I decided to change the rating to M. I'm not really into any of the hardcore lemons, but Ichiruki scenes will be a bit more visual from that point on. I feel it's going to be necessary for the last of my story. I really hope everyone will continue supporting me as amazingly, and I great big thank you for all the amazing reviews!**

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 **Chapter | 16**

Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Students moved slower, noises took longer to sound, and Rukia felt as if everything was just colliding together. She knew it was just her nerves, but how could she not be nervous?

After Ichigo had left the previous night, she had been sick to her stomach. Her worst fear had realised and she didn't know what to expect. She had considered calling Orihime, but thought she'd just be taking the easy way it; confronting her was the proper way.

That was why she was early to school, to catch Orihime (who was always early) before the rest of their classmates arrived. Only, when Rukia stepped into homeroom, she didn't spot Orihime's orange hair anywhere.

People started to file into the room, but no Orihime. Finally, the homeroom teacher showed up and Rukia was about to settle in when the class door opened.

It was Orihime. There was a slight red tinge around her eyes.

Rukia tried to catch her eye, but Orihime strode right past Rukia's desk and sat down at her own.

"Now that everyone's here, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you," the homeroom teacher announced. "As of last night, another body was discovered downtown. A curfew has been issued, so please be sure to be home at seven. Any school related activities past that time will either be rescheduled or cancelled for the time being."

Rukia peeked over her shoulder at Ichigo. Their eyes met and he gave her a nod, telling her he was okay. It might have been selfish, but she needed Ichigo's head to be in the right place until the whole Orihime thing blew over.

By the end of the day, it seemed like that wind was blowing very slowly. The girl was almost as good as Rukia at staying out of sight. The only difference was, Orihime didn't have nagging desperation to fuel her.

After school ended, Rukia went straight back to her house. She didn't even wait for Ichigo.

"Rangiku!" she called.

"Byakuya's study!" her reply came a few seconds later.

This surprised Rukia. Byakuya barely let her into his study, but then again, Rukia highly doubted that Byakuya had given Rangiku permission to be there. Which was why she was almost speechless when she opened the door to find Byakuya in the room as well.

"Brother?" Rukia asked. "I'm sorry, I assumed you were out."

"And leave this one to do as she pleases?" Byakuya rubbed his head.

Rangiku pouted. "Meanie."

Rukia gave an awkward laugh. "Rangiku, can I speak to you for a moment."

There was a grateful sigh from Byakuya.

"Sure thing," Rangiku said as she stepped around Byakuya's desk and followed Rukia into the sitting room.

"I have somewhere to go, could you maybe come pick me up in an hour's time?" Rukia asked.

Rangiku raised an eyebrow. "Where exactly?"

"Orihime's…"

"You two make up or something?"

"That's what I'm going to go do now, but we have a curfew set for seven so I can't be out on the street," Rukia explained.

"Very well. Write me the address down."

Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, Rukia scribbled down the address. "Thank you." She handed it to Rangiku.

The trip to Orihime's apartment didn't take Rukia long. She even considered taking the long way, but the extra block or two would probably cause her to chicken out.

She knocked twice before looking at her watch. It was five minutes till curfew.

"Coming!" Orihime called from inside.

The door opened an inch, the security chain catching it.

"Yes? Who…" Orihime's question trailed off when she saw Rukia standing there. "Rukia."

"Hi." Rukia looked down at her feet. "I didn't catch you at school, but I was wondering if we could talk?"

Orihime shuffled nervously. "Now's not really a good time."

"I figured it wouldn't be, but see, I can't really go home. Curfew and all." Rukia knew it was a cheap trick, forcing Orihime to let her in.

"Someone will be by to pick me up in an hour," Rukia added.

Left with no other choice, except for leaving Rukia out in the cold air, Orihime closed the door, unlocked the safety chain and stepped back. Rukia pushed the door open and entered.

Orihime had already turned her back and was walking towards the kitchen. "I'm making tea, would you like some?" Always polite.

Rukia followed. "Yes, please."

They sat in utter silence as the kettle finished boiling, and it wasn't until Rukia had a cup in front of her that she started talking.

"I know saying I intended to keep your promise must seem pretty redundant now, but I have to say it. I never had any intention of stealing Ichigo away from you, but as we grew closer, it started getting harder."

Orihime didn't interject once, so she continued.

"The day of the bonfire, after the dare, we kissed again on the roof. I tried to stay away from him after that, but it didn't work. In the end I told myself it was nothing more than an attraction, and that hopefully it would fade." Rukia's voice cracked. "I am so sorry, Orihime."

Finally, Orihime spoke.

"I probably fell in love with Ichigo the day we met. To him it was nothing more than helping a friend, but to me, it was meeting some I could trust.

"When you said you'd help; I was so happy." Rukia's heart squeezed. "But how can I hate you for falling for him?"

Surprised shot through Rukia. This was not what she had expected.

"Yesterday, after school, I had forgotten to thank you for setting us up, so I thought I'd stop by your house."

It was all she needed to hear. Orihime had seen them kissing.

"This might seem pointless now, but I honestly meant to tell you," Rukia tried.

Orihime smiled sadly. "We haven't known each other long, but I know you're the kind of person who would put someone else's happiness before your own. Which is why I'm not mad, just hurt."

"You're not mad?" Rukia asked. Deep down, Rukia always knew it would end in Orihime forgiving her, but she had hoped she could at least work for it; make the guilt a bit less.

"I want to be, but I can't. I consider you a close friend, and I of all people understand that you can't help who you love."

Rukia clenched her jaw. "Orihime, thank you, so much."

"Promise that you'll make him happy."

"I can't promise that, but I'll try my absolute best." It was true, she really would.

Rangiku arrived at eight sharp, and Rukia said goodbye. They had talked for the rest of the time, and even though things were awkward, Rukia knew that she could fix it. And that was all she asked for.

"So, how'd it go?" Rangiku asked as they made for home.

"Good, I just need to make one more stop if you don't mind?" Rukia asked.

"At lover boy's?"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Yes, at _Ichigo's_."

"Why not invite him to dinner? I'll bring him back again," Rangiku offered.

Rukia shook her head. "Maybe later, but I just need to speak to him now. Do you mind waiting?"

"Actually, I have something I need to do quickly. Will you be able to be here for about an hour?" Rangiku asked.

"I guess." Rukia wasn't sure, but she figured it wouldn't be a problem.

Rangiku stayed in the parking lot as Rukia went to the front door.

"Rukia?" Mr Kurosaki said as he opened the door.

"Hello, Mr Kurosaki, is Ichigo here?" Rukia asked politely.

"He's upstairs, would you like me to call him?"

"No, if it's fine, I'll go to him."

"No problem," Mr Kurosaki went back inside.

Rukia quickly ran back to where Rangiku could see her before giving a thumbs up. Afterwards she returned back to the house and went up the stairs.

She knocked twice on Ichigo's bedroom door, but there wasn't any answer. When she pushed the door open, she found Ichigo at his desk, his back to her, and the faint sound of music coming from him.

Rukia smirked.

After easing the door shut, she tiptoed over to him. His chair was slightly askew, so she had to take it from an angle that he wouldn't catch in his peripheral vision.

Once behind him, Rukia extended an arm, ready to scare him, but it seemed he was one step ahead of her. Just as her hand hovered over his shoulder, Ichigo grabbed her wrist, pulled her to the side, and managed to twist her body the last minute.

With a thud, Rukia landed on Ichigo's lap.

Ichigo smiled smugly before pointing at a small mirror hanging above his desk. "Had it put up yesterday, and I guess it was a good idea."

"Shut up, I almost had you," Rukia laughed, but the smile faded quickly. "I spoke to Orihime."

Ichigo's eyes flashed. "And?"

"She's not mad."

Ichigo was confused by Rukia's sad expression. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Sure, but it feels like I'm getting away with something bad," Rukia answered.

"Rukia, in my opinion, it was inevitable that she would find out."

Rukia looked up at him.

"Orihime's a great girl, and who knows, maybe I would have gone out with her if you hadn't shown up. But you did, and I for one am happy things turned out the way they did."

Lowering her eyes, Rukia muttered, "Dummy, of course I am too."

"Things might not have worked out the way you wish they did, and I hate the idea that Orihime is hurting, but at least you don't have to worry anymore."

"Worry about what?"

"Hiding our relationship," Ichigo pointed out as if it was obvious.

"You do know we're not dating, right?" Rukia raised an eyebrow. "And even if we were, neither you nor I would do anything in front of her."

"Rukia, I might be patient, but I'm not that patient." As if trying to prove his point, Ichigo's fingers slid up her arm, toying with the strap of her dress.

"You're such a guy," Rukia scoffed, but she was vividly aware of his other hand creeping up the side of her leg.

In response, Ichigo hooked his creeping handed under her knees and stood up. His lips were on hers before her head hit the pillow.

"Someone will be here to pick me up soon," Rukia mumbled as she turned Ichigo onto his back, her one leg slipping between his. He shivered.

"Then we can't get carried away." Ichigo nipped at the skin of her throat.

"Sounds about right," Rukia said, but her voice came out breathy.

Strong hands clasped around her waist, pulling her up until she was straddling Ichigo. The hands then proceeded to pull her dress off.

Ichigo stared at her, and Rukia suddenly became very self-conscious. Sure, they had gone further than this, but with the light still on, Rukia's body had been hidden in darkness.

Her arms crossed over her chest, hiding the plain cotton bra from Ichigo's blazing sight. It didn't stop him.

Slowly he leaned forward, placing a kiss on her exposed arm before reaching out and peeling it off. Rukia let it fall to her side. He did the same with the next arm, and Rukia let it drop.

From above, all Rukia could see was orange, but when Ichigo turned his eyes towards hers, something in her body reacted. As a wordless answer to an unspoken question, Rukia bent her arms behind her back and undid the clasp of her bra.

Ichigo reached up, hooked his thumbs under the straps and slid it down her arms until it no longer looped around them.

After a second of hesitation, Ichigo's lips pressed softly against the hard surface of her sternum, systematically make their way to her right breast. A breath escaped from between her teeth, a tremor raking her body, as his mouth closed around her nipple.

With his other hand, Ichigo proper her body up, pulling her body even closer to his as Rukia buried her hands in his hair; an indication to keep doing what he was doing.

With a loud _pop_ , Ichigo pulled his head away, pulling Rukia's body lower until she was moulded against him. Their lips met again, but this time in a greedy, all-consuming kiss.

For the first time, and Rukia wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed, she realised Ichigo had already pitched up tent. And this only happened because her hips started moving of their own volition. And damn did it feel good.

Instead of fighting it, Rukia gradually picked up pace until, covering her mouth in a split-second, she moaned a bit too loudly. Her body slumped, her breath coming out laboured.

When she realised what had happened, Rukia tensed.

"Did you just…" Ichigo started, but left the question hanging.

"I think so?"

"You think so?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"Well, I wouldn't really know, okay?" Rukia tried to bury her head in his shoulder, but Ichigo wasn't having it.

Lightly, he pushed her away until he could see her tomato-red face.

"Is that the first time?" Ichigo's face was serious, he wasn't mocking her.

Rukia clenched her eyes shut, letting out a shaky breath. "I haven't gone this far with anyone other than you. Not even, well, on my own, you know?" Admitting it felt like giving information to the enemy.

Instead of criticising her, Ichigo surprised her with a hard kiss. He didn't pull away until Rukia was squealing against him.

"You know, you really manage to surprised me all the time." Ichigo reached down, grabbing her bra and dress from the floor.

He helped her into her bra and pulled the dress over her head.

Before she could get off of him, Ichigo pulled her close one more time. "I hope I can be more of your firsts."

Rukia's heart fluttered violently.

 _I hope so too_. "Yeah, yeah, enough with the mushy crap."

Ichigo laughed.

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 **So yeah, there you have, the first slightly more adult chapter.**

 **Please review!**

 **xx**


	18. Chapter 18

**UNIVERSITY IS A BITCH** **. There, just had to get that out. Sorry about the delay in posting, guys. The next chapter will also be pretty late, because I'm nearing my exams and have like two textbooks per subject to study *dies a little inside*. Anyhow, I hope you'll have patience with me.**

 **Please review!**

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Chapter | 17

"Damn you, Rangiku," Rukia muttered as stomped out of her house ten minutes later than usual. She was going to be late for school, and it was all the stupid pair of boob's fault.

Even though it had been a Monday night, Rangiku had managed her way into Byakuya's liquor cabinet and drunk half of it before they noticed her suspicious absence. Rukia ended up having to take care of the drunken woman, meaning she only got to bed well after one o'clock in the morning.

And now, her hair still messy and her tie skew, Rukia ran for all she was good. Luckily it was starting to get chilly, so she wasn't too concerned about sweating.

The last note of the bell was still sounding as Rukia burst through the classroom door.

Orihime looked at her like she was crazy, but Rukia simply smiled as she took her seat. A poke to her lower back made her aware of Ichigo, and she could almost imagine him scowling.

They had agreed to walk to school together, meeting along their usual routes. Though most mornings it was just a race to see who would reach the meet-up point and sneak-attack the other.

When lunch rolled around, they all decided that finding a sunny spot on the roof was much needed. There was a numbness in everyone's fingers and toes, and it needed defrosting asap.

"That's perfect." Tatsuki sighed, lifting her face to the sun.

A few mutters of agreement were evoked, but everyone pretty much kept quiet; soaking up some more sun before class started was the focus at hand.

Opening one eye, Rukia peeked at Ichigo sitting two friends away from her. His hair seemed to shine in the light, the ends tickling his collar.

It had been a week since Rukia had visited Orihime. Ichigo suggested they keep apart at school for a while, gradually moving closer as not to upset Orihime. Rukia readily agreed; she felt it was the least she could do, but it was easier said than done.

Which was why, the moment school was over, Rukia grabbed Ichigo by the wrist and dragged him away. He didn't ask anything as she kept walking once they reached the break-off point.

Once at her house, Rukia threw a tentative glance towards Byakuya's office, but found he wasn't there. With a sigh of relief she hauled him up the stairs and into her room.

"Your brother?" Ichigo asked as she put her bag down.

"Not home," Rukia answered.

Ichigo visible relaxed. He turned in a circle, taking in her room.

Sure, it was pretty big, but she preferred Ichigo's room. Small had always suited her better, she didn't know what to do with all the space.

"Are you going to gawk all day?" Rukia was a little annoyed that he wasn't on the same page as she was.

"There's a lot to gawk at," Ichigo reminded her.

And then his eyes landed on her, perched on the edge of the bed. "And I like what I see."

Rukia's face flushed and she scooted back.

Dropping his bag at the foot of the bed, Ichigo fumbled with his tie, trying to pull the noose over his head.

"Too slow," Rukia muttered as she leaned forward, grabbed the tip of the tie and yanked hard.

Ichigo stumbled forward, landing on top of her. Rukia barely noticed his weight, her soft matrass sinking deep enough to make up for it.

They lay like that for a second before Ichigo shifted onto his right elbow, his other hand coming up to caress her cheek. There was a look in his eyes, one she hadn't seen before.

"You know, we don't have rush anything," he whispered.

Rukia smiled. "I know."

But to show that she didn't feel pressured, she lifted her chin and puckered up. Ichigo laughed softly before bending down to meet her demands.

Rukia giggled when he proceeded to plant kisses all over her face; her nose, forehead, eyelids, cheeks, chin and then finally her lips again. She breathed him in, revelled in the softness of his lips.

"You know, you need to round out a bit," Ichigo said as he slid his hand over her butt. As if to prove his point, he cupped one cheek, barely needing to spread his hand out.

Rukia swatted his chest. "And you need to stop complaining."

Ichigo chuckled and kissed her quickly before rolling off of her.

Rukia's brow furrowed. "What're you doing?"

"I might be a guy, but I'm a smart guy, who just so happens to be terrified of your brother." Ichigo explained.

"But he's not home," Rukia pouted.

"Not yet."

"And he probably won't be until tonight."

" _Probably_. There's still a chance I might not make it out alive." Ichigo had a valid point. Byakuya would shoot first and ask questions later; usually he was calm and collected, but not when it came to Rukia.

Rukia was about to protest when a door slammed further down the hallway. She and Ichigo turned their attention to uneven footsteps coming their way.

The bedroom door was barely open before Ichigo jumped to his feet.

"Rukia, where are the aspirins? My head is killing me…" Rangiku stopped when she saw Rukia had company. "Should I be parenting or something?"

"Good _afternoon_ , Rangiku," Rukia said sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get snippy. I didn't keep you up that late." Rangiku waved her hand dismissively.

Rukia sighed and climbed off the bed. "I'll go get you some pills."

Once she was out of the door, a heavy silence settled over the room. Ichigo shifted nervously on his feet, very much aware of the way Rangiku was eyeing him.

"So, how do you and the Kuchikis know each other?" He just had to say something, get some of the tension out.

"I'm one of the instructors at the Tokyo dojo, so I've known Byakuya for a long time, but I haven't known Rukia long. Unfortunately, since I know how that girl is about privacy, you're going to have to ask her about our relationship." Rangiku gave a wink.

"Ask me about what relationship?" Rukia asked as she returned, a small box in one hand.

"How the two of us became so close." Rangiku took the box before wrapping an arm around Rukia's shoulders.

"Oh, that." Rukia tried to laugh it off, but it sounded strained.

Rangiku started for the door. "Well, thank you very much for the pills. And you two," Rangiku looked at them each in turn, "don't do anything I wouldn't do."

And then she left.

"I have a feeling we can do anything then," Ichigo joked.

Rukia smiled feebly.

Crossing the space between them, Ichigo laid a hand on Rukia's head. "You don't have to tell me."

Rukia looked up at him. "No, it's not that I don't want to. I just haven't really spoken about it to anyone other than Renji."

Wrapping her hand around his wrist, she pulled him to the ground. They sat with their backs against Rukia's bed; fingers intertwined and thighs touching.

"Rangiku is one of the instructors at the Tokyo dojo, but her day job is social services. After Hisana died, she used her connections to try and find me for Byakuya. It took her a while, but she managed to track me down.

Back then, when it was just Renji and I against the world, meaning I wasn't exactly the nicest person. She told me who she was, and about Hisana and Byakuya. At first I didn't believe her, the second time she came to visit, she brought Byakuya along with her. He knew things about my sister than no one could guess and in the end I agreed to the adoption."

Rukia's head dropped to the side, warm against Ichigo's arm.

"Do you regret it?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia shook her head. "The only thing I regret is causing Byakuya so much grief."

"Yeah, you can be pretty hard headed when you feel like it." Rukia could hear a smile in his voice. It was a nice change of pace to his usual scowl. When they were around each other, they seemed to do a lot of smiling.

"So, are we really just going to spend our time listening to my sad life?"

Ichigo cleared his throat. "What else would you suggest me do?"

In one smooth motion, Rukia was straddling him.

"I don't know," she whispered, "we could watch a movie?"

Ichigo's hands crept onto her thighs. "Nothing good at the moment."

Rukia pressed her body closer to his, her lips inches from his. "Maybe we could go for a walk?"

"We'd just end up back here," Ichigo rasped as his fingers skimmed the hem of her skirt.

Rukia smoothed her hands down his arms. "A card game perhaps?"

"We both know I'd kick your ass, so I'll save you the embarrassment." Ichigo's lips strayed to her throat. He kissed her gently before opening his mouth and touching the tip of his tongue to her skin.

Rukia shivered. Her hands moved to his shirt's collar and popped the first button. "Homework?"

The second button.

"Not a chance."

The third button.

"Food?"

The fourth button.

"Not now."

As the fifth button was released, Rukia left the rest and slid her hands into the gap. Hard muscles tensed as she flattened her hands over them.

"Any suggestions?" Rukia's voice came out rough as Ichigo's hands pulled her shirt out, not bothering to smooth it down before slipping his hands under it.

"One," Ichigo said and then Rukia was on her back.

Ichigo's lips assaulted hers, hungry and relentless. His fingers didn't waste any time unclasping her bra.

A gasp slipped from between Rukia's lips as he pulled one hand out from under her shirt and put it onto her breast, nudging the padded cup out of the way. Just as his hand was to close over the small bump, there was a knock on the door.

"Rukia, I'm home early and there is something I would like to discuss."

It was Byakuya.

In his attempt to get off of Rukia, Ichigo slammed into the bed frame with a jarring speed.

"Rukia?" Byakuya asked.

Rukia was busy helping Ichigo button himself up.

"I'm coming in."

Just as Byakuya turned the knob, Ichigo silently clambered onto the window seat opposite Rukia; who was reaching for the door handle.

"Yes, sorry brother, I slipped when I stood up," she apologised as she pulled the door open.

"I hope you are okay."

"Not even a scratch." Rukia smiled at her brother.

He was about to say something when he looked past her. Byakuya's face went hard; his jaw set and his eyes looked like they were murdering Ichigo from across the room.

"Mr Kuchiki," Ichigo managed to croak out.

Rukia could almost smell the nervousness radiate off of him in waves. She swallowed, hoping her brother didn't suspect anything.

"Mr Kurosaki, I hardly believe this is an appropriate place for you to be."

 _Yup, definitely murdering Ichigo in his head_ , Rukia thought as she stepped in to help. "It's my fault. Ichigo offered to explain some of the work we did in class today and I figured my room would be the best place for it."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, shifting them between Ichigo and Rukia.

"Very well, but I suggest you use the drawing room next time. And if you are struggling with work, I can have a tutor come in—" Rukia cut him short.

"No need, it was just one thing. But thank you."

Ichigo, who had grabbed his bag while all this went down, finally spoke up, "Well, I guess I'll be on my way then. It was nice seeing you again Mr Kuchiki. I hope my explanation helped, Rukia."

Once outside the room, Ichigo threw Rukia one last look. She gave a small smile, her way of thanking him for listening to her soppy background story.

Once Ichigo was gone, Byakuya turned back to her.

"Rukia, are you sure you can trust that boy." He sounded worried, almost as if he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

Rukia looked up at him, her gaze livid.

"I trust him with my life."

* * *

 **Okay, so I'm hoping some of you recognised the little "what are we gonna do now?" scene that I put in. It's from the movie _The First Time_ , and I felt it would just be perfect in the story. So creds to the movie, it's not my idea, but I hope you guys liked it. And, just so by the way, go watch the movie; Dylan O'Brien is just super fine (let me know if there are any fans out there). **

**Then, some things I picked up from the comments:**

 **1\. Ichigo's character.**

 **It's super hard for me to write him, because I don't know him as lovey-dovey. We've seen Rukia and Orihime in love, but never Ichigo. So, in all honesty, I'm just writing him as the type of guy I'd like to date- forward, passionate, intense. Yeah, I hope you guys like what I've done, but let me know if something is too OCC, but I mean like TOTALLY out there.**

 **2\. Orihime.**

 **I am getting some serious hating on my girl Orihime. True, I will never ship her and Ichigo in a million years, and I think she's pretty useless, but I don't hate her at all. Face it, she the closets thing we got to Ichigo almost kissing someone (even if it was a little stalkerish).**

 **So yeah, thank you guys for all the amazing reviews and I hope you'll keep making my day (hopefully days)!**

 **Please review**

 **xxx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you very much to everyone who has stuck to my story from the very beginning, and also to those who joined us later on! I can't begin to describe how happy I am with all the reviews, and all the PMs! Please have patience with me for the last bit. I begin my exams next week and for about two weeks after that I will be completely AWOL.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and be sure to let me know what you think!**

* * *

Chapter | 18

"As of fifteen minutes ago, the wanted murder was caught and arrested. The people of Karakura have nothing more to fear from this man, as he is being held in maximum security with guards around the clock," the reporter said over the television screen.

Rukia dropped her spoon into her bowl a cereal.

"Miss Rukia!" the maid on service exclaimed.

Rukia stared at her before realising what she had done. "Shoot, sorry Saya," she apologised, but her attention was still glued to the television screen.

 _They caught him?_ And then her mind immediately jumped to Ichigo. Well, it had been on Ichigo before the broadcast, but now it was back on him.

In a second, Rukia abandoned her half eaten bowl of cereal and grabbed her school bag. She was out of the house before she could hear Saya's confused question.

By the time she reached their meeting point, Rukia was out of breath. She leaned against a street lamp, taking three deep breaths and watching as they came out in puffs.

"You're here early," Ichigo remarked as he sauntered up to her.

Rukia spun to face him. "Did you watch the news this morning?" she asked desperately.

Ichigo eyed her suspiciously. "No, my dad accidently cracked the screen last night when he decided to pick a fight with me."

Rukia pulled herself together. "They caught him," she looked at Ichigo, "they caught the man that murdered your mother."

Ichigo stood in stunned silence. His mouth was slightly open, but he couldn't seem to get the words out.

Instead of encouraging him to speak, Rukia closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. It took him a second, but he reciprocated her affection.

And then he let out a breathy laugh, tugging her even closer and dropping his head onto hers.

"There's one more thing," Rukia pushed away slightly, "They're saying that the families of his victims are allowed to arrange a meeting with him."

Ichigo's body tensed, his features growing hard.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked cautiously.

"Thank you for telling me," he said. "Come on, we're going to be late for school."

He didn't talk much for the rest of their walk. A nervousness settled over Rukia, making her wonder just how okay he really was.

When they reached their class, Ichigo smiled like nothing was wrong. A few students, including Keigo, came up to express how happy they were the murder was finally brought to justice and Ichigo thanked them with tight lips.

"Is he okay?" Orihime asked as she noticed Rukia staring.

Rukia explained about the meeting and Orihime nodded. "I understand. Do you think he'll do it?"

Rukia sighed. "I honestly don't know."

Suddenly Orihime jumped to her feet.

"You know what? I think we need to get out of this town for a bit. It's still a while before the exams start, and this weekend is supposed to have nice weather."

"Okay?" Where would you propose we go?" Rukia asked sceptically.

Orihime opened her mouth, but closed it again. She dropped back into her seat. "I don't know."

"How about our holiday home?" Someone asked from behind them.

Both girls swirled around to find Uryu there.

"Uryu? What're you doing here?" Rukia asked.

Orihime turned to the front and buried her hands in her lap, her eyes focused on her skirt. She was blushing.

 _Oh yeah, Uryu asked her to the festival_ … Rukia recalled.

"I came to talk to Ichigo, but overheard the two of you. I think it sounds like a great idea and my family has a holiday home in the mountains…" Uryu left the sentence hanging, leaving the choice up to them. Well, up to Rukia; Orihime was out of commission.

"Uryu, I think we'll take you up on that," Rukia said after a second of deliberation.

I weekend with just her friends sounded refreshing, and a weekend in the forest made it even better. And with the exams on the horizon, it really was their last chance to just do something pointless.

Uryu smiled, something Rukia didn't see often. "Great, I'll make the necessary arrangements at home, and I'll leave the guest list up to you girls."

With that he walked up to Ichigo and started a conversation. Even though Rukia could tell it was about the same things as everything else, Ichigo expression was sincere, showing a hint of pain he didn't let the others see.

Classes continued as usual that day, and Rukia and Orihime made a list of people they wanted to invite. It pretty much consisted of their usual gang, along with Renji, who agreed in a heartbeat.

On their way back from school, Ichigo seemed a little livelier than the morning. He talked about the trip, saying he wanted to go for a jog in the woods.

Rukia listened attentively, not saying much. She enjoyed hearing him talk about things, even random useless facts.

"So, you think it's about time we tell everyone that we're going out?" Ichigo suddenly dropped.

Rukia's eyed bulged. "We are?"

"I assumed after everything…"

"You assumed wrong," Rukia interjected. She was mad, and Ichigo could clearly see it.

"What the hell, Rukia?" Ichigo stopped walking. "What will it take to get you to admit we're going out?"

"That's not the problem, moron. I don't want to _assume_ we're going out. I want to _know_ we're going out, and until you ask me to go out with you, then we're not going out." Rukia took a deep breath, calming herself.

Ichigo's jaw set. "Fine, do you want to go out with me?"

Rukia's foot made contact with his shin.

"If you're not going to do it properly, then don't bother!" Rukia cried as she stomped off, leaving Ichigo behind.

"Stupid, insensitive, dick-head, carrot-top!" Rukia swore as she climbed the stairs to her room and threw herself down on the bed the moment she was there.

"Trouble in paradise?" a voice came from the door.

"Boys are idiots," Rukia grumbled into her pillow.

Rangiku flopped down on the bed next to her. "You can say that again. I went for a jog this morning and saw Toshiro pacing in front of someone's house. He looked nervous as hell and ran away. What's that all about?"

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "He was? Probably to see Karin or something."

"Karin?"

"Ichigo's younger sister. They seem to be hitting it off." Rukia quickly told her about the soccer games and the festival.

"I swear, that boy needs all the help he can get." Rangiku pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I've actually been meaning to ask, how are things between you and that Gin guy?" Rukia rolled onto her side, supporting her head with her arm.

Rangiku groaned. "Don't even mention him. I'm giving him some time to decide what he wants and then I'll get back to him."

"So they don't get better with age?" Rukia chuckled.

"Not from what I can tell. But a man in love is a pretty amazing thing. Take you brother for instance, he pulled all the strings to try and find you for Hisana. It's too bad she didn't get the reunion she wanted, but even after she passed away Byakuya still kept searching." Rangiku smiled. "I want a man to love me that much one day."

"I'm sure Gin feels that way about you, or else he wouldn't have stuck around so long," Rukia pointed out. She had only met Gin once, but he seemed very protective over Rangiku.

"The same goes for lover boy."

Rukia sighed dramatically. "I know."

"So go easy on him, I'm sure he's doing his best." With that said, Rangiku made her exit.

It's not that Rukia didn't know Ichigo was trying, she could see he was. But Rukia had never had a boyfriend, and she kind of wanted the full experience. Sure, she wasn't exactly the perfume and roses kind of girl, but was one romantic gesture really that hard?

Then again, she and Ichigo were in the same boat when it came to relationships. And it's not like she had been particularly clear about what she wanted for them once the whole Orihime thing blew over.

She decided she'd talk with him the next day, but the rest of her night was to be spent sorting out the plans for the trip. It was in two days' time and she didn't know what she needed to pack.

"It probably won't be warm enough to swim…" she muttered to herself as she started making a list.

The day of the trip arrived in a flash, and Rukia was having a hard time keeping up her usual façade. It was her first time going on a trip with friends and excited didn't even begin to cover it.

"See you guys at the bus later!" Orihime called after everyone had said goodbye at the school's entrance.

For the first time in a while, Rukia was walking home alone. Ichigo had showed up late to class, and also left before the last class of the day. And since he and Rukia were at odds, she didn't ask him about it.

But now, as she was heading home, the nervousness from the previous day returned.

 _I'll ask him on the bus_ , Rukia thought she reached her house. Since Ichigo had the tendency to run away from talking about his problems— one of the drawbacks of being self-sacrificing— the bus would be a prime place to confront him.

Only when, an hour later, Rukia joined her friends at the bus-stop, she didn't see the usual orange blotch between them.

"Rukia, have you seen Ichigo?" Orihime asked once she was in hearing distance.

"Not really, is something wrong?" Rukia's hand tightened on her bag.

"We've been calling him for the last hour, but he hasn't picked up. And the bus is leaving in twenty minutes," Uryu supplied for Rukia. There was even a hint of worry in his voice.

Rukia reacted without a second thought, tossing her bag down at Renji's feet. "Please put this on the bus with you. If I'm not back in ten minutes, go on without us, we'll catch the next one."

And then she was off.

It took her five minutes to get to the Kurosaki home, where she rapped furiously on the door.

"Coming!" she heard Karin call irritably.

"Karin, it's Rukia, is Ichigo there?" Rukia asked before the door was even open.

"My brother?" Karin asked once she saw a frantic-looking Rukia. "No, he's been gone for almost an hour and a half. Is something wrong?"

"Did he say anything about where he was going?" Rukia demanded.

"Only that there was something he needed to do, but he didn't sound very happy about it." Karin raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

Rukia checked her watch. Ten minutes left.

"Yeah, I think I know where he is. Thank you very much." Rukia waved as she jogged back to the road.

By the time she reached her destination, her time was up. She could only imagine how worried everyone was on the bus, but she pushed the thought out of her mind as she stepped into Karakura Police Station.

Turning in a circle, Rukia scanned the reception area. A few people sat scattered across the benches, but none of them were Ichigo.

Approaching the receptionist, Rukia asked, "Excuse me, I'm looking for Ichigo Kurosaki, is he here by any chance?"

"Kurosaki… The boy with the orange hair?" the lady asked.

Rukia's heart fluttered. "Yes, that's him."

"He's through that that door," she pointed to a green door to the right of the room, "but I can't let you through. Only family members of the murder victims are allowed."

"I swear I just need to see him for a second, and then I'll be right out again," Rukia pleaded.

The reception lady regarded her coolly, but the anxious look on Rukia's face must have pushed her over the edge. "Fine, but if you're not out soon, I'll send someone in to get you."

"Thank you, so very much," Rukia managed to get out before she practically sprinted across the room.

Beyond the door was a cramped little room that served as another waiting area.

Ichigo was there.

At first Rukia's spirit rose, but when she got a closer look at him, it plummeted to a new low. He looked so dejected; elbows resting on his knees as he held his head between his hands.

She approached him slowly, not wanting to put him even more on edge.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked as she reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped when her fingers slid over the material of his jacket. His head whipped up, a confused expression slipping from his face when he realised who it was.

Rukia opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted when the other door in the room swung open. "Mr Kurosaki, we're ready for you," a police officer said.

"Thank you," Ichigo managed to get out as he rose to his feet.

Before he could make for the door, Rukia wrapped her arms around his abdomen, burying her head in his chest. "I'll be right outside when you're done. You'll be okay."

Instead of answering, Ichigo gently pushed her away. Cupping his hands around her face, he leaned down and kissed her once. "Thank you, Rukia."

And then he was gone.

Rukia returned to the reception area and took a seat in the most secluded corner. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Ichigo was going through, but that only further proved that she had made the right decision by coming to the police station. If it had been her in there, she would have wanted someone she cared about waiting for her.

Twenty minutes passed before Ichigo finally emerged. He was as white as a sheet of paper, but there was a sort of calmness in the way he moved. As if a heavy weight was finally off of his shoulders.

Rukia stood up as he neared her.

"Well, I'm done," Ichigo said quietly.

"And it looks like you need some fun time," Rukia replied, reaching out to take his hand.

"Fun time? But the bus already left…"

"Stupid, I'm sure they'll let us swap out the tickets."

Ichigo laughed. "You're not going to miss this weekend, are you?"

Rukia smiled brightly. "Not on your life."

"Well then, Miss Kuchiki, we should get going."

* * *

 **Well, there we are, another chapter. I hope it wasn't too boring, and I promise to make up for the heinous lack of sexy time.**

 **I also have a story I would like to bring to attention to you guys. It's called Odalisque by Tituba3, and I am absolutely in love with it. Just a warning, it's not for people who aren't into lemons, because it's pretty intense. Give it a look whenever you guys can :)**

 **Pretty please, with a cherry on top, review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello again! Okay, so exams are finally dialing down and I'm getting more time to write. I'll try my best to update as much as possible again :). Cool, then there's something else I would just like to mention. I'm taking the rating back down to T. I really hope I won't be losing any of you, but I just can't write lemons. I have UBER respect for those who can, but it's just not in my personality to do it. I'll try to write hella close to it, but I literally start laughing when I do it, which means I'm clearly not mature enough for it. I hope you guys will understand.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter and please review. We're almost at 200!**

* * *

 **Chapter | 19**

Waking up in the morning, Rukia had experienced many things. Even in her half-dead state, none of these weird and wonderful things ever really got to her. But, the first morning of their weekend at Uryu's holiday home, Rukia had the most wonderful morning experience.

After she and Ichigo had arrived at a very late hour the previous night, they had literally searched for available, separate bedrooms and crashed for the night. Everyone else was already asleep, other than Uryu who had waited for them, and they were tired to the bone from the bus ride.

So the next morning, Rukia had woken up from her bladder screaming bloody murder at her. Practically still asleep, Rukia sauntered down the hallway to the bathroom she managed to get a glimpse of the night before.

Just as she reached for the doorknob, it rattled. Rukia managed to take a shaky step back to avoid being hit in the face. Only she wished she had been when she caught a glimpse of what was on the other side.

"Morning," Ichigo greeted her casually.

Without a shirt. Only in a towel. No shirt. Just towel. Oh god.

Rukia's eyes bulged and she turned her back on him. But the image was there, engraved into her retinas, never to leave; she could still see the water drops rolling down his glimmering skin.

"Good morning, Ichigo," Rukia said formally.

"You okay?" he asked.

Before Rukia could move, Ichigo leaned over her, noticing the shade of her face.

"Come on, it's nothing you haven't seen," he teased, his lips tickling her ear.

Yep, seeing a semi-naked chest that could only have been carved by angels was definitely one way of waking up in the morning. Rukia could imagine much, _much_ worse.

"Don't be a moron, I was just taken by surprise," Rukia countered.

"Sure." Ichigo's hand slipped around her waist, pulling her body right into his, moulding around her. "So it doesn't bother you in the least?"

Rukia's breath came out shaky. "Of course not."

"Not even if I do this?" His lips lowered to her neck, kissing it lazily.

Rukia shivered. She was about to turn around and tear into him like breakfast, but they were interrupted.

"Yo, love-birds, breakfast is ready," Renji said, forcing them to jump apart.

Rukia at least had the decency to look ashamed, but Ichigo seemed even cockier. Must be a testosterone thing.

"We'll be down in a second," Ichigo answered for the both of them.

Suddenly remembering she needed to pee more than she needed to breathe, Rukia pushed past Ichigo and shut the door behind her. It would be a lie to say she didn't touch him on purpose.

When she emerged not long after, the hallway was empty. Rukia returned to her room and got dressed in comfortable, cosy clothes.

The rest of the gang were downstairs. Uryu and Orihime were standing in the kitchen, while the rest were already seated around the wooden dining table. Unfortunately, Ichigo had put a shirt on.

"That smells amazing," Rukia remarked as she descended the stairs and grabbed the open seat next to Tatsuki.

"Oh, Rukia, I was just telling Ichigo how happy I am that you two could make it in the end," Orihime said once Rukia was settled.

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world," Rukia replied.

"Well, it wouldn't have been the same without the two of you," Uryu added as he forked the last of what looked like pancakes onto a large plate.

Rukia's stomach growled louder than a dying walrus.

"Rukia's stomach thanks you," Renji said and everyone laughed.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I didn't really have much to eat yesterday, so bring the food."

"Coming," Uryu said as he and Orihime carried the food to them.

There were pancakes. By the time Rukia finished three, she caught Ichigo staring at her, only halfway through his first. The guy really didn't eat all that much.

Breakfast turned out to be a contest to see who could eat the most, the participants being Rukia, Tatsuki and Chad. Chad won.

"So, what's the plan guys?" Renji asked once everyone helped washing the dishes.

"Orihime suggested we go for a hike? The mountain is plenty beautiful this time of the year," Uryu suggested.

"We can even take a picnic basket, Uryu says there's this pretty clearing near a lake," Orihime added.

Rukia threw a glance at Tatsuki. Orihime said? Uryu said? They were practically finishing each other's sentences.

They met in front of the house twenty minutes later, a little less layered with comfortable shoes.

The trail they followed ended being every bit as amazing as Rukia had hoped it would be. After living in the city for most of her life, the closest she got to the country life was Karakura, and it was still far from it.

But now, being surrounded by enormous trees, her feet sinking slightly into the undergrowth and the sound of birds overhear, Rukia was happy. She always knew that she'd like the country side, but she never knew to what extent.

She watched her friends; Orihime and Uryu were glued to each other's sides. Tatsuki, Renji and Chad were having a very livid conversation, and Ichigo was staring at her.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing really," Ichigo said as he fell back a pace or two to walk with her. "Just thinking you look really happy here."

"I am, but all of you make it even better," Rukia admitted.

She jumped a little when Ichigo's hand grazed hers, but she didn't stop him from intertwining their fingers. They waited long enough to let everyone see. And it's not like it was a secret.

Good thing too, because it was barely ten seconds later when Rukia's foot slipped. Luckily Ichigo managed to get her around the waist and boost her up.

The group halted for a second.

"Damn it, can't you two wait until you're alone?" Tatsuki asked.

This time Ichigo had the decency to redden a bit. He let Rukia go.

The trail continued for another hour at the somewhat slow pace they were following. Finally, it led them out of the densely packet forest and into a clearing, with low and behold, a lake.

There was a collective cheer as they put down the things they were assigned to carry. It mostly consisted of three blankets, a picnic basket and cutlery.

"The water sure looks amazing," Orihime remarked once they were also settled onto the blankets.

"Makes you wish we could swim." Even as Tatsuki said it, a chill ran down everyone's spines.

"Nope, definitely too cold," Renji spoke for all of them.

They sat and enjoyed the sun, chatting away about what else they could do the weekend. Someone suggested they definitely go hiking again, and there was also the suggestion they make a camp fire for the night.

On their way back down, they pretty much followed the same group pattern; Orihime and Uryu in the front. Tatsuki, Renji and Chad in the middle, and Ichigo and Rukia pulling up the rear. Rukia figured that's pretty much how it would be for the rest of the weekend, but it didn't bother her at all. She was just happy to have everyone together.

The rest of the day was spent lounging around the house until the sun was about to set. The guys then set out to collect some wood for the camp fire while the Tatsuki and Rukia kept an eye over Orihime's cooking.

All's well that ends well.

Until Renji showed up with a bottle of whiskey.

"Where did you get that?" Uryu asked sceptically.

"Come one, you said your dad barely ever comes up here. We'll be doing him a favour, because this is a mighty fine bottle that he's letting go to waste," Renji explain and before Uryu could object, he unscrewed the top.

"This is not going to end well," Uryu muttered.

"I agree with glasses," Tatsuki said, but raised her glass to Renji nonetheless. "It might not end well, but we'll sure to have fun all the way."

Rukia and Ichigo looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Ichigo shrugged, "Why not?"

Slowly everyone agreed, and the bottle was sent around the table.

"To only being young once!" Renji announced.

Lifting their glasses, everyone repeated before taking their first sips.

"Sweet hell that burns," Tatsuki said.

Orihime coughed.

After dinner, they moved the party outside, where the last of the first bottle was finished. By then, the only people who weren't slurred out of their minds was Renji, Chad and Ichigo.

Orihime, completely pink in the face, was sitting with her hips against Uryu's, who in turn was going on about needles and thread. Tatsuki and Renji were whispering furiously about something while Chad tried to defend himself against Rukia.

"Come on, big guy, I'm sure I can take you," Rukia said as she raised her hands into fighting position.

"Rukia, I think you need to sit down," Chad suggested.

Rukia swayed to the left before widening her stance. "Nonsense, I'm totally fine."

"Go Rukia!" Orihime suddenly called before breaking out into a fit of giggles.

Rukia was about to throw her first punch when arms wrapped around her from behind and picked her right up.

"Okay, I think it's time you went to be," Ichigo announced, "Say goodnight."

"Damn it, Ichigo, put me down, I swear I'm not _that_ drunk," Rukia objected.

Ichigo ignored her and went inside the house.

"You know, just because you're sober, it doesn't mean you get to judge the rest of us," Rukia complained as Ichigo went up the stairs.

"I mean seriously, you drank just as much as I did, but you're probably just too stubborn to get drunk. Yip, must be it. You're so stubborn that your brain won't even let you get drunk."

Ichigo opened her bedroom door and walked the two of them in before putting Rukia back onto her feet.

"Did I mention you're stubborn? You really need to work on—"

Rukia's back hit the closed door hard, but Ichigo's lips covered hers before she could even begin to object.

And since her drunken mind could only focus on one emotion at a time, the way Ichigo was making her feel trumped the pain in her back.

She caught his bottom lip between her own and sucked hard, eliciting a growl from Ichigo. He pulled away and they simply stared at each other.

"You're not sober, are you?" she asked.

"Not in the least." And then he kissed her again.

Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing onto her toes to get closer. Ichigo must have had the same idea, because just as she was on her toes, Ichigo wrapped his around her thighs and pulled her up. Her legs went around his waist without a second thought as Ichigo straightened out.

Even though Ichigo was drunk, Rukia could still feel that he was holding back from doing anything. So in a (not so) subtle attempt the encourage him, Rukia planed her hands against the wall and shoved with all the power she had.

Ichigo grunted as he stumbled until the back of his knees hit the bed. They went down with a heavy flop, Rukia now on top.

She didn't waste any time in stripping the three layers she was wearing off. And before Ichigo could get a word in edgewise, she kissed him again. When he pressed lightly on her shoulder, she though he might be trying to push her away, but that wasn't the case.

When she didn't give way to his attempts, he simply gave up on the gentlemanly idea and shoved her onto her back.

"What?" Rukia stammered, but her mouth fell open when he climbed to his knees and pulled his shirt off.

The motion itself was hotter than all hell, but the look in his eyes made Rukia shiver beneath him.

When they kissed again, it was with new fervour. Their hands almost did more exploring than their lips.

It wasn't long before both of them were sporting a single layer of clothing.

Rukia wanted more, she knew she did. Every time Ichigo touched her, she didn't feel nervous or scared, but rather exhilarated.

And then everything went black.

* * *

 **Ooooooh, what'll happen next? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out :)**

 **Please review**

 **xx**


	21. Chapter 21

**Two apologies- one, I'm extremely sorry for this very late update, and two, for always having to apologize for late updates. Damnit, I'm just a walking contradiction.**

 **Anyway, I was away for three weeks and when I got back I finished this chapter in like two days, but I didn't want to post because of it not being long enough. In the end I just decided that I would rather shorten this one and focus on the next one. Thank you all for your patience, I truly appreciate from the bottom of my heart.**

 **So, yeah, please enjoy x**

* * *

Chapter | 20

The first thing Rukia did when she woke up was cover her still shut eyes. The room was just too bright and it was not helping her raging headache.

"Agh," Rukia groaned as she pulled the covers over her head. The darkness soothed some of her over-working senses and she was able to open her eyes. It took a while to get used to the semi-darkness, but what she saw was almost enough to shock her right out of her hangover.

Rukia shot upright, moving to the edge of the bed. She touched her palm to her forehead, waiting for the throbbing to end.

The bed shifted as the orange haired boy next to her woke up. He moved onto his elbow, blinking groggily at the headboard. And then he turned his head to Rukia.

Ichigo blinked another lazy two blinks before he registered what he was seeing.

Rukia clutched the sheets tighter against her chest.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked, her voice breaking. She took a deep breath. "What did we do last night?"

Ichigo's brow furrowed, and then the situation seemed to dawn on him. He lifted his body, peeking underneath the sheets. His eyes darted to Rukia, who was clearly trying to cover up her very naked body.

"I…" Ichigo started. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember."

Rukia put her hand over her mouth. "Oh god, what did we do?"

"Hay, calm down," Ichigo said and moved to comfort her.

Rukia flinched away. She didn't meet his eyes.

Ichigo sat back. "If we did do _that_ , then there should be some proof?" Ichigo suggested.

"I already checked. There's no blood, but my body aches," Rukia said.

"Well, if there's no blood, then it couldn't have happened." The sheets rustled slightly as Ichigo shifted uncomfortably.

"It's not that simple. There isn't always blood, so we can't take the chance." Rukia looked at her arms crossed over her chest.

They sat in silence for a while. The house was quiet, no doubt because everyone was suffering from a serious hangover.

"What now?" Ichigo finally ventured.

"I guess we just pretend it didn't happen… I should know in a week or two if we did do it. Let's just forget about it until then." Rukia moved to get off of the bed, but then remembered she was still naked.

She cast her eyes down, clutching the sheet until her knuckles whitened.

Ichigo didn't need more of a que as he turned away from her, his face harder to read than ever before.

Luckily, Rukia found her clothes next to the bed and slipped into them. She left the room to give Ichigo his privacy.

In the hallway, Rukia listened for any sounds, but the house was silent as the dead. She sighed heavily, having hoped there would be some kind of distraction from her problem. No, from _their_ problem.

Ichigo emerged a minute later, his hands shoved awkwardly into his back pockets. "Guess they partied on without us last night?"

"Yeah." Rukia knew it sounded like she was trying to end the conversation, but in truth she just didn't know how to confront him right now. It's not like she was a mad or blamed him, but that didn't change the fact that they could have a very big problem on their hands.

Instead she tried to find a distraction. "Want to go make breakfast for everyone?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her sudden need to play house mom.

As Ichigo was serving the last of the breakfast, Rukia went upstairs and started waking everyone up. Chad, to no surprise, was fast asleep, but Rukia highly doubted that it was due to a hangover; all the alcohol in the house probably couldn't get him drunk. Luckily Rukia only had to say his name to wake him up.

The next room was Orihime.

"Hime?" Rukia asked as she poked her head into the room. "Breakfast is ready, it's time to wake up."

There was a muffled groan from the sheets as they shifted, but no one appeared. Rukia crossed the room and sat down on the bed. She gently tugged at the sheets until shiny orange hair could be seen. "Come one, up and at 'em."

"My head hurts," Orihime said into her pillow.

Rukia smothered a laugh. "I know; we already have some hangover cures downstairs."

Orihime lifted her head. "Promise?"

"Promise," Rukia repeated, her smile wide despite her own returning headache.

"Okay," Orihime muttered as Rukia stood up and left the room.

Uryu was in much the same condition Orihime was in, but he still tried to pretend he was fine when Rukia woke him up. Luckily this meant she didn't have to bribe him out of bed.

When Rukia finally reached Tatsuki's room, she was surprised to find it empty. "Odd," she muttered as she stepped across the hallway to wake Renji up.

"Time to get up you lazy—"

Rukia's mouth fell open, her eyes barely able to compute what she was seeing. Sure, Renji was there, the bright spark of red making that very clear, but he wasn't alone. With her head on his shoulder and one arm across his chest, Tatsuki wound herself tighter as the door bumped against the wall.

"Hey, Rukia, what's taking so long?" Ichigo suddenly asked from behind her. When she didn't reply, he turned his attention to the room. "Holy shit."

"Exactly what I thought," Rukia replied absentmindedly; she couldn't get her eyes of off the two people in front of her.

And then Renji woke up. At first he simply lifted his head and eyed Rukia and Ichigo warily, but when he noticed the figure draped across him, his eyes widened.

"Um, well, good morning," Renji said awkwardly, his voice waking Tatsuki up.

"Hey, lie still will you," she muttered sleepily.

Renji poked her shoulder. "Tatsuki…"

Tatsuki raised herself onto the elbow not latched onto him. "What is it now?"

Lifting a hand, he touched his finger to her cheek and turned her head to face us. Rukia had never seen Tatsuki blush to severely.

"Ichigo, Rukia, good morning," she said politely, "do you mind giving us a second?"

Rukia coughed to clear her very tight throat. "Sure, but breakfast is ready so don't take too long."

Breakfast wasn't especially pleasant considering everyone's terrible state. Orihime tried her best to start a conversation about the night before, but barely made it past the second sentence before sinking back into silence with the rest of the table.

As for Ichigo and Rukia, they were both seated at opposite ends of the table. No one seemed to notice anything wrong between them, but Rukia couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes even once; she could tell he was trying to catch her attention.

"How long before we need to catch the bus again?" Tatsuki asked as she placed the last of the dirty dishes in the sink.

"About two hours," Uryu replied as he grabbed one and started scrubbing.

"Great," Renji muttered irritably.

"Considering the state of the house, you can thank your lucky stars we have two hours," Rukia called from the dining room.

And she was right, the house was an absolute mess. Not only had someone gone on a rampage through living room— all the pillows were flung across the room, the contents of the coffee table strewn on the ground. They also had to clean all the rooms and pack their things.

"Well, let's get to it," Ichigo announced as he started on the living room.

Rukia went upstairs to help Tatsuki and Orihime with the bedrooms.

"So, about this morning…." Tatsuki started, but she seemed unsure of how to continue.

Rukia jumped in. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone and I'm sure Ichigo won't either."

Tatsuki sighed. "Thanks, I owe you, but just so you know, I don't regret doing it or anything."

This took Rukia a bit by surprise. "You don't? It's not like a think you should, but wouldn't you have wanted it to happen differently?"

"Well, sure, I regret that it happened that way, but I don't regret that it was with him. Isn't that all that actually matters?"

Rukia didn't think the amount of surprises she was getting that morning could be good for her heart. "Wait, do you like Renji?"

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "You think I would have slept with him if I didn't?"

"No, that's not it. I just assumed that you guys were pretty drunk and one thing led to another..." Rukia turned away to hide her blushing face.

Tatsuki's voice softened. "I guess in a sense that is what happened, so the only thing left to do is wait and see if Renji comes back to me."

"He will," Rukia said before thinking. "I've known Renji for a long time, there's no way he would sleep with someone like you, someone he respects, without feeling something."

A shaky breath left Tatsuki's lips and she smiled. "You really think so?"

Rukia held her gaze. "I know so."

"Thanks, Rukia, I needed to hear that."

They didn't speak for the rest of their chores, but Rukia had heard plenty. What Tatsuki had said was pretty much applicable to the situation she was in, the only thing she didn't mention was that it was a two-way street. Sure, she'd just have to wait and see if Ichigo came back to her, but she couldn't make it impossible to do so.

It was then that she realised he was probably freaking out just as much as she was.

Rukia rubbed her forehead. "I'm such an idiot."

* * *

 **So, there you have it, short and sweet. And then the bad news follows. The next chapter will be the final one, and it surprises me to see how sad I am that it's finishing. I really enjoyed writing this fic, even more so than my others.**

 **So, please review and let's see if we can get this fic above 200 reviews after the next chapter :)**

 **xx**


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, so on this not so lovely, exceptionally cold, and rainy day, I bring you the last chapter of Bleach: Who Needs Enemies? I'm really say to finis** **h this story, because I had a great time writing it. Hopefully you guys enjoy this last chapter; I made it super long to make up for the shortness of the previous one :)**

* * *

Chapter | 21

"Brother, I'm home," Rukia declared as she stepped into Byakuya's office.

Her brother continued to scribble on some papers for a second longer before lifting his head. "Ah, Rukia, welcome home. I assume your weekend was nice?"

Rukia's smile faltered, but she managed to regain her composure before her brother noticed. "Yes, very much so."

"I am glad to hear that. I am not well versed in the behaviour of women, but I agree that a girls' weekend is much needed." Byakuya took a sip from the water glass on his desk.

Rukia gulped, a cold sweat forming on the back of her neck. "Yes, I would very much like to do it again."

With that, Rukia took her leave.

Okay, so yeah, she might have lied to him about who exactly was going on their little weekend holiday, but she also knew there was no way he would let her go otherwise. Now she wished that she had listened to her gut, told him the truth, and let him forbid her from going.

By the time she reached her bedroom, the pit in her stomach had grown to a nauseating degree.

After they had finished cleaning the house, they only had enough time to grab their things and head to the bus stop. Once on the bus, pretty much everyone was asleep within the first ten minutes. Talking to Ichigo had been near impossible. By the time they were back in Karakura Town, Ichigo all but ignored her to get away. Maybe she could—

Rukia's phone buzzed.

Faster than a cat hunting a mouse, Rukia was across the room, grabbing for her phone on the desk.

Lifting the phone to her ear, Rukia answered with a very enthusiastic, "Hello?"

"Rukia… You okay?" Tatsuki asked on the other side of the line.

Rukia mentally scolded herself for not checking the caller ID first. She had been hoping it would be Ichigo.

"Yeah, sorry, don't worry about it," Rukia apologised.

"Okay then. I just wanted to let you know that I accidentally grabbed your brush from the bathroom when we were packing. Do you mind if I bring it around sometime in the next hour?"

"Sure, I don't have any plans."

"Great, see you soon." Tatsuki hung up.

Sighing heavily, Rukia returned to her bed and dropped onto it like a stone. She lifted her phone until it rested next to her face, practically willing Ichigo to call her.

He never did, and by the time the butler announced that Tatsuki was there, Rukia was a pity-party of one.

"You are definitely not okay," Tatsuki announced after one look at Rukia.

"Maybe not entirely," Rukia mumbled from her bed.

Tatsuki closed the bedroom door behind her and crossed the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Tell me about it."

If it had been anyone else, Rukia probably wouldn't have said anything, but after what she and Tatsuki talked about, Rukia found she was more willing. It was a strange sensation to her; opening up to others.

"Ichigo and I may or may not have slept together," Rukia whispered.

There was a moment of silence. "Wait, what?"

With a groan, Rukia pulled herself into an upright position.

"Last night when we went upstairs," Rukia started, "Ichigo was just as drunk as the rest of us and we both kind of blacked out…"

"So you don't remember…" Tatsuki finished.

Rukia pushed her hair out of her face, a little relieved that she didn't have to keep what happened to herself anymore.

"What did Ichigo said?" Tatsuki asked after a moment of deliberation.

"We haven't really talked about it," Rukia admitted.

Tatsuki raised a finger. "Then you need to get on that."

"I know, but it's easier said than done. I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to approach him about it." This wasn't just something she could spring on him.

"And I get that, but how about I make you a deal?"

Rukia eyed her sceptically.

Tatsuki laughed. "Oh don't look at me like that. All I want to say is that I'll talk to Renji if you talk to Ichigo."

"Easier said than done," Rukia retorted.

Tatsuki smiled. "And you'll feel a whole lot better once it's done."

"Or worse," Rukia pointed out, "the possibility is definitely there."

"The possibility of what? That he might leave you?" Tatsuki scoffed.

Rukia looked at her lap. "I can't pretend like it's impossible."

A warm hand fell onto Rukia's shoulder. She looked up, feeling a little comforted by the gesture, but it didn't last long. In no time at all, Tatsuki snaked her arm around Rukia's neck and pulled her into a choke hold.

"Are you stupid or something?!" she practically yelled from above Rukia's head.

"Tatsuki," she managed to gasp, bringing her hand up to tap twice.

"Oh, sorry." Tatsuki loosened her hold a bit, but didn't pull back. "You and I both know Ichigo isn't the type to leave a girl over something as trivial as this."

Rukia opened her mouth to say it was not trivial, but Tatsuki cut her off.

"And yes, it is trivial. You and Ichigo _might_ have slept together. Last time I checked, a decent conversation could solve that pronto. The real problem here is the fact that you two can't man up and have the bloody conversation."

For a long time, Rukia remained silent.

"You still conscious down there?" Tatsuki asked, finally releasing her.

Rukia sat upright again. "Yeah, you're right. I am being an idiot, but I'm just so terrified."

Tatsuki's demeanour softened. "Of what?"

Wrapping her arms around her waist, Rukia swallowed. "That he doesn't want me anymore. The idea of him being over me, or thinking that I'm more trouble than I'm worth is just too much for me to handle."

"Then tell him that."

Rukia's eyes bulged. "No way. There's no way I could possibly tell him that."

"Why not?" It was a valid question, and Rukia knew it.

"I don't know, what if he thinks I'm needy or something?"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Don't you think you guys are past all that?"

"I do…" Rukia sighed. "But still, it's not a nice feeling to have."

"Don't you know that love isn't a nice feeling to have?" Tatsuki joked.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh. "I guess I really do love him."

"And I can promise you that if you tell him that he won't care about anything else." Tatsuki hopped off of the bed, heading for the door.

"Thanks," Rukia said.

Tatsuki waved goodbye over her should. "No problem."

"Come on, you're a Kuchiki now, you can do this," Rukia said to herself in the mirror for the umpteenth time.

It was early the next morning and Rukia had woken up with a determination she couldn't shake. And she tried, she really did.

With one last glare at herself, she turned on her heel and headed downstairs.

Even with the cold front coming in strong, the day was surprisingly sunny. Sure, her breath was coming out in tiny puffs, but the clear sky made the cold just a little bearable.

She was in high spirits when she rounded the corner to her and Ichigo's usual meet-up spot, but he wasn't there. Rukia stood waiting for a few more minutes, but when it became apparent that he wasn't going to show, she continued to school alone.

 _So much for my determination_ , Rukia thought as she passed through the school gates. She planned on heading straight to her class, but someone caught her eyes.

"Chad!" Rukia called out as she made her way over.

Chad turned around and looked around aimlessly until Rukia cleared her throat.

"Oh, Rukia, good morning," he said, looking down for the first time.

"Do you know whether Ichigo will be at school today?" Rukia didn't have time to beat around the bush.

"He sent me a message this morning saying that he had other plans," Chad answered.

Rukia was a little taken aback. "Oh, I see. Thank you."

Before Chad could ask what was wrong, Rukia took off. She didn't want him seeing how unnerved the news had made her; Ichigo usually texted her when he would be late or planned on skipping all together.

What if he really was over her?

The though plagued Rukia's mind as the rest of her classmates entered the room. One in particular seemed to notice.

"Rukia, you look a little pale…" Orihime observed as she faced Rukia in her own seat.

"I'm not feeling very well," Rukia admitted, trying to force a tiny smile to her lips.

Orihime's brows knitted together in concern. "Do you want me to go to the nurse's office with you?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think this is something she'll be able to help with." Rukia gave a small laugh.

It took Orihime a second, but she seemed to catch onto something. "Ooooh, is it that time of the month?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Rukia's face blanched. "What, no, that's not what I'm talking about."

"Is it Ichigo?"

There it was again, the tug in Rukia's stomach. She must have made a face.

"I knew it. What happened."

Rukia gave a sad smile. "I think he's really mad at me."

It was clear Orihime knew there was more to the story, but she didn't push Rukia for details.

"Is there anything you can do to make it right?" she asked instead.

"I wanted to, but he's not at school today and my bravado is fading a bit," Rukia confessed. "And if I leave it any longer, I don't think we'll bounce back."

"Then go to him," Orihime stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're the last person I know that would let something like this stop her. If you really want to apologise, go to him."

Rukia considered it for a moment. True, she wasn't the type of person who would give up so quickly, but she also regularly ended up with her foot in her mouth. She knew that if she didn't approach this problem with caution, it was very likely that she could lose Ichigo.

But on the other hand, she would definitely lose him is she didn't do anything. At least, if she screwed things up, she'd go out with a bang.

"Okay, I'll go to him," Rukia decided. She could feel some of her determinism from the morning returning.

Unfortunately, classes dragged on forever. By the end of the day, Rukia felt more worn out than she had expected to, but she wasn't going to let it stop her. Her mind was made up and that was the way it was going to stay.

As she was about to leave the school-grounds, Rukia heard someone call out her name.

"Uryu?" she asked as he approached her.

"Good, I managed to catch you," he said as he reached her. Then he reached into his pocket, revealing a silver necklace. "This belongs to you, right?"

Rukia gasped, taking the necklace from him with great enthusiasm. "Yes, thank you. I thought I had lost it."

"I found it while we were cleaning the living room," Uryu explained. "You and Ichigo really managed to do a number on that place. I assumed you dropped it then."

"Ichigo and I did what?" Rukia asked, completely confused.

Uryu looked at her with a concerned expression. "That night we all got drunk. You and Ichigo rampaged through the living room, remember?"

A nervous laugh escaped Rukia's lips. "Actually, no. Everything after Ichigo and I went upstairs is a bit of a blur..."

Uryu seemed surprised by this. "Oh, I wasn't aware. Well, it was about fifteen minutes after you and Ichigo disappeared. You came running downstairs, pillows in hands. It took over half an hour, but you guys finally settled down and then you declared that you needed a shower. That's the last we saw of you guys for the night."

"Anything else? Anything at all?" Rukia pressed.

Uryu shook his head. "No, but Chad did go upstairs to check on you guys once we heard the shower stop. Says he found the two of you passed out in bed."

Before Rukia could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around Uryu's waist and hugged him tightly. "You don't know how happy I am to hear that!"

"You are?" Uryu asked as she stepped away, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Yes! Thank you for the necklace and the news!" she called as she turned on her heel and jogged towards her destination.

Even with this new information, her problem was far from solved, but at least she had something to lighten the mood. Hopefully Ichigo would at least want to hear her out.

She thought about everything she would say to him, but as turns out, her time wasn't enough. As she rounded the corner to the Kurosaki's home, she came to a sudden halt. Ichigo was standing outside.

Judging by the way he was looking up and down the street, he seemed to be waiting for something. That was, until his eyes spotted Rukia.

Sucking in a breath, Rukia approached him.

"Ichigo, I need to talk to you," she declared once she was within hearing distance.

Ichigo's jaw clenched. "Rukia, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I know, but it really can't wait any longer. I—"

"I'm sorry, but now really isn't a good time," Ichigo cut her off.

Rukia took a step back as if he had slapped her. "I really just need a second," she tried again.

Ichigo was about to say something when a honk interrupted them. They both turned to the sound.

"Again, I'm sorry, but I need to go." With one last look at her, he took off to where the car had stopped further down the road.

Rukia stood in stunned silence, watching as he slipped into the passenger's seat. The car took off with a slight screech, and even though she tried, Rukia couldn't see who the driver was.

The walk home was a quick one; Rukia barely paid any attention. By the time she entered the Kuchiki mansion, her chest was heaving from the effort of not crying.

Luckily, a distraction walked straight into her.

"Rukia!" Rangiku crooned, "just the person I was looking for."

"Now might not be the best time," Rukia tried to say, but realised she sounded exactly like Ichigo.

Her statement, however, fell on deaf ears.

"Yours truly has a date tonight and I need someone to choose which outfit I look fabulous in," Rangiku said, hauling Rukia up the stairs after her.

Instead of fighting it, Rukia let it serve as the distraction she needed. Granted, the distraction continued for over an hour, but it kept Rukia's mind busy.

Just as Rangiku was slipping on her last high-heel, her phone started ringing.

"Hello, Rangiku speaking," she said in her usual perky manner.

Her expression changed to somewhat pouty. "What? Now?" There was a response on the other side of the line. "Very well, I'll meet you there."

Ending the call, Rangiku faced Rukia. "Want to run a little errant with me?"

Rukia considered her options; an errant with Rangiku or wallowing in self-pity. Needless to say, Rangiku won.

"Great, go get changed."

"Where are we going?" Rukia asked as she slipped into the passenger seat twenty minutes later.

"An old friend of mine is in town and he happens to have business at your school. He asked me to come pick something up that he brought along," Rangiku explained as they made their way along Rukia's usual route.

When the school building came into sight, Rangiku got another call. Pulling over, she answered the phone.

"Are you serious?" she demanded. Someone on the other side answered. "You left it where?" More inaudible sounds. "Fine, I have someone who can get it and I'll quickly meet you."

After saying goodbye, Rangiku put her phone done.

"Men," she sighed. "Do you think you could maybe go get my package?" she asked Rukia. "He left it in one of the classrooms after he suddenly got called away. I quickly have to go meet him."

"Um, sure," Rukia agreed.

Rangiku thanked her whole-heartedly before saying the classroom number. Rukia barely had two seconds to get out before Rangiku took off.

"Okay," Rukia mumbled before setting off.

The school was completely empty, and with the sun already setting, it was pretty creepy too. She found the security guard at the main entrance and explained the situation to him. To her surprise, he didn't hesitate to open up for her.

By the time Rukia reached the classroom, the sun had gone down completely. Luckily the security guard had given her a flashlight, but it would have been nice if he had just switched on the lights.

In one slightly annoyed motion, Rukia opened the door and stepped in. Her breath caught in her throat.

She wasn't alone.

Standing in the middle of the classroom was Ichigo. All the desks had been moved in a circle around him, each with two to three candles. The glow from the small flames made everything seem completely surreal, so much so that Rukia flicked her flashlight off to make sure it didn't suddenly vanish.

"What's all this?" she asked once she found her voice.

Ichigo smiled. "This," he motioned around him, "is me apologising."

Rukia inhaled sharply. "What for?"

Dragging a hand through his hair, Ichigo beckoned her into the room and Rukia went to stand in front of him.

"What happened this weekend upset you…" Ichigo began, but Rukia cut him off.

"It didn't happen," she said.

Ichigo inhaled deeply. "I know you don't want to think about it, but we can't pretend like it didn't happen."

Rukia grabbed his hand, wrapping both of hers around it. "No, I'm serious, it never happened."

And then she told him everything. By the time the story was done, they had both sat down on the two chairs Ichigo had placed.

"A pillow fight and a shower?" Ichigo laughed, "you have got to be kidding me."

Rukia laughed along. "No, and it actually makes absolute sense to me."

Ichigo's expression clouded over. He was serious now, all joked aside. "But you have to know, even if we did sleep together and things didn't work out so smoothly, I would never leave you."

He held her gaze, searching her.

Rukia smiled. "I know, and I didn't think you would, but I was scared."

Ichigo reached up and trailed his fingers along her jaw. "I was too, but scared that I would lose you."

Covering his hand with her own, Rukia turned her head and kissed the inside of his palm. "I don't plan on going anywhere."

Without pulling his hand away, Ichigo managed to face his chair towards hers, moving closer until her knees overlapped his own.

"Great, because this evening has two functions," he pointed out.

Rukia raised an eyebrow, but held her tongue.

With his free hand, Ichigo reached into his pocket. "Close your eyes," he said.

Rukia hesitated, but closed her eyes. She almost protested when he pulled his hand away from her cheek, but it wasn't long before she felt both his hands slip around the back of her neck. He fiddled with something and then pulled away.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

When she did, Rukia was confronted by a small mirror. She was about to ask what it was for when she noticed something new to her reflection.

A necklace.

Rukia's fingers traced along the slim silver chain until it reached the two charms pressed lightly against her skin. It was a sun and a moon, barely bigger than the tip of her pinkie.

"It's beautiful," Rukia breathed. "But what's it for?"

Instead of answering, Ichigo took both her hands in his, bringing his face until it was a few inches from Rukia's.

"Rukia Kuchiki, you're probably the most stubborn woman I know. I'm surprised I've managed to maintain all your mood swings and indecisiveness. But despite all of that, I found that I've fallen in love with you."

The tears Rukia had been holding back suddenly came to life. She couldn't stop them as they flowed from her eyes, dripping on the front of her shirt.

"Stupid, you can't insult a girl and then tell her you love her," Rukia blubbered.

Ichigo wiped away some of her tears. "I can if I'm about to ask her out."

That didn't help with the tears thing.

"You're going to ask me out?" Rukia managed to say.

"I was, but you're really unattractive when you cry, maybe—"

Rukia punched him.

"Okay, okay, I'm just kidding," Ichigo laughed.

They settled down again and Rukia managed to get a hold on her emotions. Once she was done crying, Ichigo took her hand.

"Rukia, will you go out with me?"

As her answer, Rukia threw herself at him. Literally.

Neither Ichigo, nor his chair, expected this attack and he let out a yelp when all three of them when toppling backwards.

"Ow," Ichigo muttered. "You know, a simple yes would have sufficed."

But Rukia wasn't paying attention to this. She had managed to manoeuvre herself on his chest until their heads were at the same level.

"I love you too." And then she kissed him.

Ichigo didn't waste any time wrapping her tight in his arms. They stayed like this for a while, kissing, before Ichigo pulled back.

"Not that I want to stop this, but the security guard only gave me thirty minutes," Ichigo whispered.

Rukia sighed mockingly, but gave him one last kiss before standing up.

"I'm guessing Rangiku was included in this scheme?" Rukia asked as they left the classroom.

Ichigo gave a smirk. "She was more than willing to help."

Rukia shook her head, but wove their fingers together nonetheless.

"Thanks man," Ichigo thanked the security guard as they left the building. They gave him a thumbs-up in reply, returning to his game of Sudoku.

"How did the fact that we had a pillow fight not come up yesterday morning?" Ichigo asked out of the blue.

"Well, considering the state of mind everyone was in, it makes sense," Rukia pointed out.

"But come one, they didn't even mock us about it," Ichigo countered.

He had a point. If any of the other had done it, Rukia was sure that she herself would taunt them a bit. Ichigo would definitely, so why didn't they?

"Oh well, who needs enemies when you have friends like ours?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo laughed. "Right, who needs enemies?"

The End.

* * *

 **So yeah, that's the end of this one. Thank you so much to all the readers who started this story with me and managed to keep reading even through all my late postings. And to those who joined later on, thank you also, because all the reviews always made day just that little bit more amazing.**

 **SPOILER ALERT FOR BLEACH MANGA.**

 **Who else literally started crying when they read the last chapter? I mean, like, just, no. But on a side note, Ichigo looks pretty hot with his short hair, anyone out there who agrees?**


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